GOD USES CRACKED POTS

This beautiful new hymn on You Tube makes me think of several things.  When John the Baptist said in John 3:30, " He must increase, but I must decrease,” he was saying that everything he said and did was to point to Jesus.  In other words-- Christ be all.  Also, I noticed a cracked pot in the animations on the screen.  This illustrates that God uses weak vessels. My favorite lyrics are at the end--  "until every tribe and tongue can sing may Christ be all."

Grace Worship gives this explanation of their work --  "Before Jesus went to the cross, he prayed that His church would be one (John 17). We desire to write songs that advance this mission. By pulling from the rich heritage of Christian hymnody and integrating the culturally-sensitive church songs of today, we hope to make much of Jesus’ unifying mission through music that equips the church for worship across generations. Whether a church accents a past generation or a current one -- whether the label is formal or informal -- Jesus has not forsaken any in his church. These songs aim to celebrate that unifying gospel message. Every story and generation matters, because each represents unique ways in which God is displaying his glory through his Body and Spirit. We hope these songs point you to Jesus, help you understand and commune with Him often, and offer opportunities for you to stand beside your brothers and sisters of all ages and backgrounds in joyful, united praise."

A MERRY HEART

The above You Tube is from the movie "You Can't Take It With You."  Reminds Chris of my family.  Davy and Wayne did like to blow things up and I liked to dance.  Most everyone played an instrument. Evy was 1st chair in the school band.

I always knew that our family was a little bit different from other families.  Our mom knew that we were all perfect and would never make poor choices.  Family life was freewheeling with few boundaries or rules.  Promises were never kept-- such as we will have a chicken dinner tonight--  but the dinner turns out to be hot dogs instead.  (They must have found a good sale.)

My dad would do things such as take the bridesmaids for his brother, Ernest's, wedding out for ice cream, and show up late for the wedding rehearsal.  He never wore a watch.  Things just fell into place in an easy manner. 

One summer our family was all loaded into our VW Microbus for a trip from Alexandria to Spokane.  Grandma and Grandpa S. started to get worried after we had been on the road 15 days.  Uncle Hollis predicted that we had gone by way of Texas.  Sure enough we had.

L to R-- Mom, me, Jay,Davy,Evy, Dad. I think this was the Nash Rambler Mom and Jay drove to Spokane one year.  Wayne must have been asleep when the picture was taken.

Life was not stressful at our house.  I felt free to borrow our dining room chairs for a play we put on at the high school.  My mom did object to the paint we got on one of the chairs though.  

I don't remember any disagreements with my siblings.  I did hear that when Wayne was two he became irritated with Davy's teasing one day and decided that he was going to hit him.  Davy ran into our folk's bedroom and locked the door.  Wayne sat outside the door.  Davy tattled to Mom that Wayne was going to hit him.  Mom chose not to get involved.  Davy climbed out the bedroom window to escape.  (Davy says it was the upstairs bathroom he locked himself in to and he climbed out that window.  He said Evy played 1st chair music but sat in second chair.)

So we lived Proverbs 17:22 in those days-- "A cheerful heart is good medicine."

A GOOD SLEEPER

Cousin Stewart 1932

I remember shoe boxes full of correspondence Grandma Isabel and Grandpa Claude had received and saved over the years.  They kept them neatly in one of their basement rooms at 2811 Lamonte in Spokane.   My mom preserved many of them.  

Uncle Jay, Grandpa Claude's brother, was married to Aunt Anne.  In Aunt Anne's letters many family traits are revealed.  One such letter from Aunt Anne to Grandma Isabel was written just after Uncle Jay's and Aunt Anne's son, Stewart, was born, and Grandpa's and Uncle Jay's mother, Sarah, had just died.  She mentions how their sister, Grace, would be so lonesome now after losing her mother. Aunt Anne writes how Stewart, as a new born, would not wake up to eat.  She had to wake him up or he would never eat.  I experienced this same thing with our son.  He was a good sleeper.  Here is the letter:

 My dad referred to himself as a slow sleeper.  I got the impression that this meant that he was good at sleeping.  My dad did not appear to have any dementia so maybe being good at sleeping prevents brain deterioration. 

Now back to Stewart.  Stewart and his wife and three boys lived in Hartford, Conn. when we visited them in 1960.  I thought they were a good looking bunch and tried to talk the oldest, John, into coming down to Alexandria and taking me to my Senior Prom.  No such luck.  I believe John never married.  The next brother Jim moved to North Carolina and that is where Stewart lived when he passed away.  

I'm attaching a news clipping about Stewart's visit to Spokane in 1936: