SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND BLESSINGS

 

Jes 5 years old

Children are amazing. Suddenly, you will discover that they are more capable than you thought. Our son Jes was a quiet child. He was a good listener, and he learned quickly. One Sunday, the children were putting on a Christmas play, and the pastor’s wife chose Jes to have a speaking part. I told her that he probably wouldn’t be able to get up and talk in front of the church. She simply told me to leave it to her.

During the play, Jes calmly stood up and spoke his part with no problem. Of course, I beamed with pride! He went on to use this ability many more times throughout his life.

That experience made me think about how God gives each of us abilities that we may not recognize at first. So, how did Jes develop this talent? I believe that God had given him a spiritual gift. I also believe that God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, helps us and teaches us many things. He is God, and He will lead and guide us if we are willing to listen to His voice. Sometimes He speaks to us through Scripture, sometimes through a friend, and sometimes through what feels like a gentle nudge in our hearts.

I have experienced this kind of guidance in my own life.

Recently, a friend and her husband were moving to a new location and would be passing through our area. She wanted to stop by for a quick visit and then stop to see another friend from our long-ago Moms in Prayer group. The only problem was that the phone number we had for our friend had been disconnected.

I e-mailed her, but there was no reply. I called her son-in-law’s church and left a message asking her to call me, but there was still no response. I finally asked God to help us get in touch with her.

Then, quite suddenly, I remembered that years ago I had called her on FaceTime. I looked at the information I had for her in the address book on my phone and noticed the little FaceTime icon. I pressed it—and it rang. She answered!

I was shocked. How did I reach her using an old phone number that she no longer had? We had a wonderful catch-up visit, and she gave me her new phone number. I passed it along to our other friend, who was then able to call her and make arrangements for them to meet.

I believe the Holy Spirit connected that call somehow.

That is only one of many times when I believe I have experienced the Holy Spirit’s guidance in my life. Looking back, I can see occasions when He protected me from choices that might not have been good for me. There were times when a boyfriend suddenly broke up with me, perhaps saving me from a relationship that was not right for me. Most of the young men I dated treated me with respect and were gentlemen. At another important time in my life, a good friend from church started a Moms group where we studied Help! I’m a Parent by Bruce Narramore. That group became an important part of my life.

I have also seen God’s care in circumstances that were completely beyond my control. Even while sailing on the high seas, our vessel was carried safely into harbors. Looking back over the years, I can see many other instances when God was with us, protecting us, guiding us, and giving us abilities we needed at just the right time.

Perhaps that is one of the things I have learned most clearly as I have grown older: God is always at work, even when we don’t recognize what He is doing at the time. The Holy Spirit can use Scripture, other people, circumstances, and even a simple thought that suddenly comes to mind to guide us. We may not always understand why something happens or where a particular nudge is leading, but we can learn to listen.

But the most important gifts given when one asks Jesus into their heart is--  salvation by God's cleansing of our sins, and being sealed for eternity. 

When I look back at Jes standing in front of the church that Christmas morning, I see more than a shy little boy discovering that he could speak. I see a reminder that God has given each of us gifts and abilities, sometimes before we even know we have them. My prayer is that I will continue to listen for His voice, trust His leading, and recognize His hand in the ordinary—and sometimes extraordinary—events of my life.

Ephesians 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

1952 IN VIRGINIA

Jefferson manor 1952, left to right unknown, unknown, me, Beverly , Rita, Evy 

Grandpa told us the truth. You may ask why I believe my grandfather was correct. He knew the truth about the Communists. As I recall, he wanted to build a fallout shelter in our backyard in Alexandria. I’m not sure how far he got with it. Meanwhile, we had “duck and cover” drills at school every so often. We would hear an alarm and be instructed to climb under our desks and cover our heads with our hands. All of this was supposed to protect us from the threat of the “bomb” during the Cold War—a time when the United States and the Soviet Union were locked in a tense struggle.

In America, some people went overboard in their efforts to keep Communism out of the United States. Others understood that the answer went much deeper than politics. Richard Wurmbrand, for example, knew that Jesus was the answer. He was tortured and imprisoned in Romania for fourteen years because of his faith.

Wurmbrand believed Soviet Communism was a fundamentally atheistic and oppressive system. In his 1966 testimony before the U.S. Senate, he described his experiences preaching to Russian soldiers and warned that Communist systems would ultimately become oppressive when Communists gained complete power.

Looking back, the defeat of Soviet Communism came about through many influences—economic decline, the prayers and persistence of free people, the witness of Christians like Wurmbrand, and many other forces working against that system.

And that brings me to today. Once again, we hear promises that the government can provide for everyone and that a peaceful, prosperous utopia can be created if only we put enough power in the right hands. But history reminds us to be cautious about such promises. Human government cannot create the perfect world we long for.

As Christians, we know that true peace and justice ultimately come from God. We are called to love our neighbors, care for one another, help those in need, and live responsibly—not simply look to government to solve every problem. Grandpa understood something important: freedom is precious, government has limits, and no earthly system can take the place of God.

Hebrews 13:3  Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

HOME

 

Grandpa Roy and Grandma Grace Belle 1913

“Joyce never forgot what Joe had gone through in his early years, and she never wavered from a vow she had made to herself early in their relationship: come what may, she would make sure he never went through anything like it again, would never again be abandoned, would always have a warm and loving home.”
—The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Home is so important in a person’s life, yet the work of building a home can be tedious and often goes unnoticed. Joyce had never planned to be a housewife or to spend her days keeping house. But because she loved Joe, she willingly did the work. She wanted him to feel secure. She wanted him to know that, whatever happened, he had a place where he was loved and would not be abandoned.

That reminded me of Grandma and Grandpa. They, too, built a home together—not simply a house, but a place where their three daughters could grow, learn, and develop their own gifts.

My mom remembered her dad teaching her older sister and her to type. He supervised their practice, making sure they learned to do it well. Grandma stood beside the piano for their piano practice helping them keep time. Those girls became typists and piano and organ players, and they continued those activities throughout their lives.

Grandma also found practical ways to care for her daughters. When my mom studied late at night, Grandma would heat a brick in the wood-stove oven, wrap it carefully, and put it at my mom’s feet to keep them warm. It was a simple thing, but it was an expression of love. The youngest daughter took voice lessons and developed a love of singing that stayed with her throughout her life.

In those days, building a home was not something that happened by itself. It took time, work, sacrifice, patience, and love. Grandma and Grandpa invested those things in their family, and eventually their three daughters left home to build homes of their own.

Yet leaving home was not always easy, nor was it always possible. Tragic circumstances like my great uncle dying at a young age and leaving a deaf wife and a baby.  In those days deafness was treated differently than it is today.  The family took the baby to raise and sent the mom away. The unmarried brother and sister remained at home.  In my own family my sister and 3 brothers were reluctant to move out on their own.  Eventually they did so. 

And so the story continued from one generation to the next: people leaving one home and trying to create another. Houses were built, children were raised, skills were taught, and traditions were passed along. Through it all, the ordinary, sometimes tedious work of making a home continued.

Today, however, the idea of marriage and family seems to be changing. Many women are delaying marriage and family, and some are freezing their eggs so they can have children when they are older. According to a December 9, 2025, Washington Post report, young men today are, surprisingly, more interested in marriage than young women. The article suggested that this growing difference between the sexes could contribute to social chaos.

Perhaps part of the reason for the reluctance to marry is the message women have received for decades: that they can—and should—have it all. They can pursue a career, build a home, raise children, and somehow manage all of it without having to make difficult choices or sacrifices.

But can we really have it all?

Maybe the better question is: What is it that we value most? A career can be rewarding, and accomplishments outside the home certainly have value. But a loving home does not happen without someone investing time and energy in it. Joyce understood that. Grandma understood it. They knew that making a home was work, but they also knew that the work mattered.

Perhaps we have underestimated the importance of that work. A warm meal, a clean and welcoming house, a piano lesson supervised, a brick warmed in a wood stove, a child encouraged, a husband welcomed home—these may seem like small things. Yet those small things can become the very fabric of a family’s life.

A home is built one act of love at a time. And while building one may not always be glamorous, the security, memories, and love created there can last for generations.

Proverbs 31:10   An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.    

11  and h

I'M STANDING UP ON THE INSIDE

 

No safety back in the day.

Years ago, our son, Jes, and our future daughter-in-law, Jessica, had the responsibility of picking up someone from the airport for the wedding of their friend. They were surprised when they met the group from Japan and discovered that they had no car seat for their four-year-old. After getting the child safely to their friend's house, Jes and Jessica promptly went out and bought a car seat. They respected the law and wanted to obey it—not simply because it was the law, but because they knew it was intended for the child's safety.

That story reminds me of another story I heard years ago. A little girl was standing up on the seat in the car. Her mother insisted that she sit down and put on her seat belt. After some quick discussion, the girl finally submitted. But then she said, "I'm still standing up on the inside."

Isn't that sometimes how we are? We may obey outwardly while our hearts are still resisting.

I am very blessed to live in the United States and to have the freedom we have here. We can express our opinions and speak our minds as long as our speech is peaceful. Yet freedom does not mean that everything we choose to do is necessarily good for us or for those around us.

As I look at our culture today, I sometimes feel as though the young people are repeating some of the attitudes of the 1970s. Ugly is in, and language that once would have shocked us has become commonplace. Tattoos are now so normal that someone without tattoos can sometimes be the one who stands out. Yet customs and standards vary greatly from one part of the world to another. In some areas of Tanzania, for example, tattoos are considered far more serious than we might imagine—some even viewing them as worse than adultery.

These differences remind me that what our culture accepts is not always the same as what is best for us. And underneath all these outward expressions is something we all have in common: there is a little bit of rebellion in every one of us.

It is difficult to walk the straight path when there is so much noise surrounding us. We want to have friends. We want to fit in. We want to enjoy life. Sometimes one small step away from what is good seems harmless, but that one step can make the next step easier—and before long, we can find ourselves farther from the path than we ever intended to be.

So how do we live the best life? How do we continue walking in the right direction when making the effort becomes tiring? Sometimes it may seem almost useless to keep trying. We are running the marathon of this life, and we can become weary from the effort.

But there is Good News!

God does not ask us to run this race in our own strength. When we ask Him, He will indwell us with the power of His Holy Spirit. He helps us recognize what is right, gives us strength when we are weak, and draws us back when we begin to wander. Through His Word and His people, He teaches us how to keep walking the straight path.

Perhaps the goal isn't simply to make sure we are sitting down on the outside. God wants to change what is happening on the inside as well. We don't have to remain "standing up on the inside." Through His grace, He can change our hearts so that our outward obedience becomes an expression of an inward desire to follow Him.

And when we stumble—and we will—we don't have to give up. We can get back on the path, ask for His help, and keep running the race. The Good News is that we don't run it alone.

I Kings 19:18 "...Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

THE BEST REUNION IS YET TO COME

 

Jeanne, Stina, Nancy, me

It was forty years later that the four of us were finally reunited. For many years I had been the "lost classmate" until Nancy M. discovered that my parents had been sending her parents Christmas cards every year for four decades. What a delightful surprise it was to reconnect with three dear classmates—Jeanne, Stina, and Nancy L.

Time, however, has a way of reminding us that life is precious. Since our reunion, Stina and then Jeanne have gone. When I spoke with Nancy L. on her 83rd birthday, she firmly informed me that I was not allowed to die. I laughed and assured her that I was "going strong." Not long afterward, though, I received a gentle reminder that perhaps I wasn't quite as invincible as I thought. I had a sudden head rush and, for the first time in my life, it resulted in a fall.

Experiences like that have caused me to think more intentionally about saying goodbye before the time comes. I believe it is a gift to leave our loved ones with words of hope rather than uncertainty. I want my family and friends to know that I am looking forward to a far better place and that my greatest desire is for them to join me there someday. The assurance of that hope rests on the words of Jesus in John 14: "I go to prepare a place for you... I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Life is uncertain, but our hope does not have to be. While we are here on earth, we can rely completely on Jesus. And when our earthly journey is over, we can continue to rely on Him. Those who place their trust in Him need not fear what lies ahead, for He has already prepared the way. That is the confidence I want to leave with those I love—and the hope I pray they will embrace for themselves.

 1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

KEEPING ON THE OLD PATH

 

Me, Davy, Jay, Evy, Wayne.  Grandpa in the background -- Grandma and Grandpa's house 1962

I had four siblings. All five of us stayed on the old path. We were obedient to our parents, attended school and church faithfully, and graduated from college. As is often the case, however, life became more complicated after adulthood. It was after college that we didn't necessarily make our parents happy. I won't go into detail, but after we all married, our relationships became difficult at times. Even so, we worked hard to keep the lines of communication open and to care for our parents in their old age. The Lord sustained us through every challenge. Along the way we experienced heartbreaking losses. Evy died of cancer in the middle of those years, and Jay passed away from diabetic shock two years after Dad was gone. Through it all, God's faithfulness carried us.

That brings me to an important question: Why should we stay on the old path? According to Voddie Baucham, in his sermon Three Trees, the beauty of the gospel reveals truth, beauty, and goodness while demonstrating God's power to transform lives and cultures.

History provides powerful evidence of that truth. I have noticed that countries ruled by Communism eventually stop prospering and freedom begins to disappear. Right now in South Korea, former U.S. Ambassador Morse Tan has been unable to return to the United States and to his wife and four children after South Korea imposed a travel exit ban on him. To me, this is an indication that Communist influence is slowly creeping into South Korea.

We can also see changing ideas here at home. In recent primary elections, several Democratic Socialists won nominations and will run as Democratic candidates against Republicans in the general election. Their platform is lunacy:

Underlying many of these cultural changes is a deeper philosophical issue. University of Texas professor J. Budziszewski has spent decades writing about ethics, conscience, and natural law. A former atheist who converted to Catholicism more than two decades ago, he has written more than twenty books, including The Pandemic of Lunacy. In discussing what he calls thirty modern myths, he argues that at the root of many of them is the desire for God not to be God—and for us to take His place. In other words, we want to determine our own standards of right and wrong, redefine marriage to suit ourselves, and declare that reality is whatever we choose it to be.

Budziszewski points out that there have always been times in history when societies were steeped in immorality. The difference today, he says, is striking. In the past, people often admitted what they were doing was wrong but simply chose not to care. Today, vice often claims the moral high ground. It says, "You are evil for calling this vice." That is a very different—and very troubling—situation.

For all of these reasons, I believe the old path is still the best path. It is the path that honors God, strengthens families, preserves freedom, and provides a firm foundation for future generations. While the world constantly searches for something new, God's timeless truth has never needed improvement.

Jeremiah 6:16a Thus says the Lord:“Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.

THE BLESSING OF HAVING A DRESSER

 

I must be related to Jerry Seinfeld. See the above video. I've often had the very same thoughts about clothes. Why can't we all just wear the same uniform every day? We'd have six identical outfits for everyday wear and then one pure white one reserved for Sunday.

Fortunately, I've had someone to dress me all these years, so it has never been much of a problem. When I was growing up, my mom picked out my clothes. If I wanted something different, I'd borrow my sister's. In college, if my mom hadn't packed something I needed, I'd borrow clothes from anyone willing to loan them to me. (That ball gown was 2 sizes too small but I squeezed into it.  Thanks Phyllis.)After I got married, my husband became my fashion consultant. (Sorry about those mini skirts now.) I wore his  waist 36" pants with suspenders for maternity clothes. These days, my daughter has taken over the job, and she's doing a wonderful job of keeping me presentable.

Looking back, I suppose I've never really been interested in fashion—only in being appropriately dressed. Having someone else make those decisions has saved me countless hours of standing in front of a closet wondering what goes with what. Maybe Jerry Seinfeld is onto something. A simple uniform would eliminate one more unnecessary decision from our day and leave more time for the things that really matter.

As for me, I'm perfectly content to let my daughter keep me from becoming a fashion disaster.

Proverbs 31:22 — "She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple."