NO GOOD THING

I just returned from 5 days of fishing in Manitoba, Canada, a very special birthday present from our son Roger. This was something I always thought would be a special thing to do.

Psalm 84:11 "For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." Satan will tempt you to think, If I follow the Lord and serve Him, I will never get to do the things that would be special to me. In addition to serving the King of Kings, He will add those things that are in your heart. There have been things I have pondered that would be special but have never asked for them. Among them, visiting Quito, Ecuador, from where the gospel was introduced to me, a cruise to Alaska, and fishing in Canada. I consider these to be some of those "good things" which had been in my heart. Don't ever think you will come up short by giving your life to serve the Lord. No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

A SPECIAL HONEYMOON

I had somehow heard about the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. It was advertised as the "good life". I had enough money for reserving two nights at $50 a night I remember. Then we moved to a less expensive motel. We were like two kids on an adventure. This was different life then we knew. An attendant in a tux met us at the front and took our car. I had reserved a honeymoon suite and it was nice. Why did they turn our bed down? They rolled a table in with a linen tablecloth for our breakfast. We noticed that not many of the guests seemed that happy but we certainly were. To us this was the beginning of the "good life". It was worlds of difference from the two room apartment over a garage in Emporia, KS that we rented for $60 for six weeks for some summer school classes after our honeymoon. The place really didn't matter. We were just so happy to be married.

GOING THE DISTANCE

As Mary and I headed toward Colorado after the wedding, I could not help but weep. God had done a special thing in bringing us together. As I looked toward the future now, with the wife that I had prayed for, I was very sobered with the life set before us.

I am writing this 42 years later after just finishing one of our "Camp Gramma(s)" with 21 of our 23 grandchildren. It was a wonderful time with these special children.

I keep the pictures of our growing family through the years on the wall where I counsel those struggling with problems - some who cannot see going on in their marriage. It is a pictorial message to the value of going the distance. Trials come, Satan will do all he can to destroy, the way ahead at times may look hopeless, but God has such blessing for those who will go the distance. Mary and I have been so blessed of God with our children, their marriages, and their children. What a special heritage. I pray for those who will face difficult times and will be tempted to quit. I speak to you down through the years, IT IS ALWAYS TOO SOON TO QUIT! May God help you go the distance.

OUR WEDDING

I am writing this blog on May 27, 2009, forty-two years after our wedding. Last Tuesday, May 19, 2009, I was giving a message at Mary's Dad's funeral. All sorts of thoughts flooded my mind while being at the pulpit where we were married. I thought back to that night I first visited Salina Bible Church, as I sat by Mary. Unknown to her, I visualized our wedding. Then I remembered Mary's Dad giving her to me after walking her down the aisle. Now he was in heaven and his body lay in a casket where we declared our vows of intent to each other.

All of this reminded me of how important it is to live for the Lord and allow God to develop a legacy that honors Him. Today, 42 years later, we have 6 grown children and their mates seeking to raise their 23 children to walk with the Lord. God has been gracious!

Our wedding was a real answer to a long time prayer of mine for God's choice for me. Mary was beautiful! Francis Grubbs challenged us from Eph. 5 to live out the picture of a husband picturing Jesus Christ and His care for the church and a wife serving her husband as the church does Christ. I remember his prayer for us that God would bring the right balance of pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow, good days and difficult days into our lives in order to mold us into His image. Before he introduced us, he shared a poem somewhat as follows:

Two ships afloat on the sea of life,

Each launched from each its separate port.

Two lives, two lights and then they merge into a larger light.

One life, one light, to Glorify Thee O God.

We then sang a duet, "To Glorify Thee". It was very emotional for me. As we left Salina on the way to Hays for the night, I wept in gratitude to God.

Now, 42 years later, I am filled with gratitude to God for His grace to us. God blessed us with family. He has graciously brought us through storms that Satan intended for our destruction. Sunday, May 24, Mary and I sang "To Glorify Thee" in our service as a recommitment "to go the distance" for God.

To my Grandchildren: Be sure God is leading you to His choice for you. Then purpose by God's grace "to go the distance". Believe me, it is worth it. God be praised!

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

It did not take very long after meeting Mary, that I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. It must have been when we were at my home in Iowa at Thanksgiving that I bought a ring for her. I tried to keep it a secret but I guess she looked in my checkbook. I suppose a check to the jewler there was a give away. On December 4, 1966, I set out to ask Mary's parents for permission to marry their daughter. For hours on that Sunday afternoon I waited for a good opening while Mary took a nap. That opening never came, so I finally just had to blurt it out. I received their blessing and gave Mary the ring after her folks left for church. We showed up a little later and Mary surprised her folks showing them the ring. I was engaged to that girl I had prayed for so many years. I was one happy guy!

MY FIRST YEAR AT CCHS

I entered my first year of teaching with a lot of enthusiasm. Probably more enthusiasm than good sense. I took the responsibility of being dorm dad to about a dozen high school boys. I taught a number of math, science and Bible courses. I didn't have my teaching certificate, so I took night courses at Wichita State University and practice taught in McPherson High School. Mary and I directed the senior class play. And then there was the time I spent getting to know Mary. What a year that was!

I was very enthused about the Lord and about spiritual things and was disappointed that I didn't find that kind of heart in many of the students. On the other hand, I was excited to be able to start classes with prayer and talk about things of the Lord. I know God was beginning to show me the importance of education that is Christian. God was preparing me cocerning the education of our children He would bring into our lives.

CONCERNING INTERRUPTIONS

Over the last several months, I have experienced an interruption to my project, but I am determined to get back to the project of Journaling My Journey. I have found in my life that whenever you set out to do something consistently, there are often interruptions. A good exercise program might be interrupted by sickness or injury. A devotional life may be interrupted by unexpected circumstances. It seems to me that Satan will try to interrupt the things in a Christian's life. I have learned that it is important to get back at it. If it was worth starting, it is certainly worth continuing and finishing. God has used thoughts in V. Raymond Edman's devotional on the discipline of determination to encourage me on in times of need. He wrote, "Transfer if you must; catch another wave-length; change your level to a higher one, but don't quit-- it is always too soon to quit."
God has put a desire in my heart to share my journey with those who come after me so I am getting back to the task.