March 2021

“Be of good courage and I will strengthen your heart.”  When we are going through tough times and there is no relief in sight, we usually start looking for the nearest and quickest way out.  It’s that “escapist” in us all.  We tend to think that MAYBE we deserve better conditions than what our current situation is. When we think like that, we are ignoring that God is in every detail of our days.  Any painful or difficult circumstance is not worthless. We should try to muster the courage to say “yes” to life and trust that GOD is in control and with us throughout all struggles. Large or small.

Recently, we took an unexpected trip to Branson Missouri to meet up with my Brother in Law and his wife, whom we had not seen since 2007. They live in Texas and it seemed that Branson was about equal time for us all. Our Son and his wife and five children also met us there, though He left at midnight and drove the 8 hours straight for sanity sake and so his children would sleep their way to Missouri.  In total it was only a four-day trip. We would spend 2 days on the road and 2 days off the road visiting.  I am NOT a travel-bunny. I am a “stay on my farm and tend to whatever needs tending to bunny. I am happiest in my little corner of the world. It takes more courage that you would believe for me to climb into my truck and drive out of this drive way.

I am not comfortable at all going 70 miles an hour or faster if heavy city traffic is breathing down our necks. I ride in “zombie” mode. I try to converse with others, but my right hand has a death like grip on the passenger door and I admit at this point I do a bit more “foreboding” than I should. The human mind schemes up the worst things happening and there is no comfortableness in my own skin and sometimes not for the driver either.

I took my Bible along as I usually do, but after some good advice from my ” wise owl friend” Cheryl, I decided I would keep track of how many times I saw God throughout the trip. Mind you, I could not possibly list them all, but I was happy to see that even in the smallest, silliest, details HE is still there.

Our first morning, we all ran to the local Walmart for a few things we needed. Our oldest Grandchild Ben, found a perfect small video camera and wanted to record the trip. Since He had been saving his birthday money He was ready make a purchase. When He got up to the counter to pay, He couldn’t find his roll of cash.  His Dad paid for the camera and He and his Mom went back inside in hopes of finding where he might had lost the money.  Within 15 minutes they came walking out of the store with his roll of money. Someone who worked at Walmart found the money and had already turned it in. It wasn’t even 9 a.m.  GOD KEPT HIS MONEY SAFE.

That same morning, one of his four sisters had been to visit the Disney Store with their Mom, gotten a darling pair of pink sunglasses. If you have ever been to Branson, it’s a whole town built on a hill, parking lots leave your vehicle leaning heavily to one side, the lobby of hotels are level with the road on the front side and the 3rd floor from the back of the building.  The entire family walked and walked for probably 4 miles. Shortly after noon, we all walked to the top of a hill, and sat below a huge cement Chicken that towered above us all by 30 feet and rested. Then we all decided to walk into the local McDonalds further up the road and get a drink and use the restrooms. After more walking we all went back to the hotel, children napped and around 6 that evening when my brother-in-law and his wife finally arrived. Everyone went out to dinner. We decided to eat at the Great American Chicken and Burger Barn.  My son and his family pulled up in their van, got out and Little Carly noticed her bright pink sunglasses were still sitting on the cement pad where we had all rested almost ten hours earlier that day.  What are the odds with all the tourist in that town that NO one took those little girls glasses. GOD KEPT THOSE GLASSES THERE.

Just before we left on this trip, I was talking with our oldest daughter Tonya, about an idea I had for writing my own publication.  She was very encouraging and was honest that she also thought what I had in mind really should be done. An untapped source that needed to be tapped. We discussed it for a long time and I concluded with:

“Well, you know I would have to find a publisher to publisher it and I would have to find the time to interview these certain key SENIOR CITIZEN people (before something happens and they aren’t here to interview) . I wanted to mix in Bible verses throughout the publication showing how GOD is still just as present in our everyday lives today as He was in the lives of our ancestors.   I already have a full plate with family and farm animals, crops due to be in when Springtime finally arrives, and harvest in the fall. Not to mention hay throughout the summer months.  I decided that I would just add it to my prayer list and see what the Lord thought of it all.

On Saturday, in Missouri, the whole family was dining out. I walked over to look at some souvenirs for the grandkids and our two daughters that were not able to come with us on this trip. (We always travel together like a gas-powered wagon train).  I was checking it out when my son Thom happened by and grabbed a hat that said CIA (Christian In Action) and said I love Jesus all over the back of it. He said “Mom, Uncle Jeff would like this hat”. I told him he was right and I bought it.

Sunday Evening, we went to a large horse and dinner show called the DIXIE STAMPEDE.  After the show there are hundreds of people leaving the arena in a dozen way. A tall, older cowboy walked up to my brother-in-law and said “I sure like your hat, I’m a believer also”.  My brother in law walked on, and the gentlemen turned to me and said something. I muttered that I bought the hat for him and then the cowboy showed me two magazines he was holding and said He wrote them and He explained how He uses books from the Bible He studies, and then intertwines stories with a few stories from the old west.  He said he carries a few magazines with him everywhere he goes. So, we bought the two he had with him.

I ask him again “you write these?  “He just smiled as he was walking away and said “Yes, just check out page 6 when you have time”. And just like that the “messenger” was gone.  I didn’t take time to read through them that night. In fact, I stashed them away in my truck for the long journey home.

I call Elliot Johnson “a messenger” NOT because HE SPREADS THE WORD OF CHRIST in every moment of his day…..but because when I opened one of the magazines to page 6 , sure enough there He was. Explaining everything just as He had mentioned in those few seconds we met.  What hit me was this:

I felt like GOD brought a “human messenger” right to my face. Everything that Mr. Johnson is doing is what I had talked about doing with my daughter the week before. What I had been praying about. Should I begin this endeavor, Do I have time, what will be my startup cost, where will I get it published, how often should I publish it.  Right there on page 6 was all the answers and GOD PLACED IT IN MY HAND DIRECTLY FROM THE AUTHOR himself.  I believe with my whole heart that it was NO ACCIDENT that I met ELLIOT JOHNSON.

PROOF….for me anyway that GOD is alive, He is listening to all our prayers, all our conversations, He is PRESENT TODAY in EVERYWAY.

          

**The publication that I have been contemplating doing will take me out of my comfort zone and put my writings and beliefs OUT IN THE WORLD. A scary thought for me.  I Will keep the readers of this Blog posted as to my progress.