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Some of the first Sweet Gum leaves have fallen, an indication of more to come, much more. The Yellow Poplar (Yellow Wood, Tulip tree) has been dropping its leaves since the beginning of July. There is no surprise there.

So much has happened this summer. There was camping with Grace Bible Church families, Lois’ surgery and continued recovery, celebrating birthdays, Ricky and Karlyn being accepted and preparing to move to Baltimore, MD to minister to people out of Arlington Baptist Church, Lois and my 34th Wedding Anniversary which we celebrated with all our family with great friends Tim and Beverley Roberson and their daughter Kelly, and so much more. Jesse now owns his first automobile. Andrea and Cherith have left to work this summer/fall with Harvest Rally out of Indiana and are enjoying prep work to begin.

Also, Lois’ brother Bruce and his wife Deirdra and their son Zack moved to minister in Montana. We went to spend a Saturday with them the weekend before they moved.

It is fun to look behind, but there is so much ahead. Welcome Autumn!!!

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We must fight. I repeat it, sir, we must fight. An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. Nor shall we fight our battles alone. That God who presides over the destinies of nations will raise up friends for us. – Patrick Henry

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A parent’s pride in their children when they make a great accomplishment should be obvious. Our youngest son Jesse graduated from high school Tuesday night May 24, 2011. We are proud of him and very excited for him. We love you Jesse. We do have proof outside our say so that he did indeed graduate from James F Byrnes High School in Duncan, SC. (As you watch please note that no one in our family was escorted out or ticketed. Yes, we all had tickets to get in. We were happy we weren’t given one as we left.)

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From our local TV station:
Graduation Guests Ticketed For Loud Cheering

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When you see Jesse please congratulate him!

“Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.” Job 39:19-25

The opening quote of the movie ‘Secretariat’ came out of this small paragraph amongst all of what God questioned Job about when he had justified himself rather than God. Here God Himself is questioning Job about his capabilities as a man. In doing so the strength, stamina, and endurance of horses is enunciated succinctly. The movie portrays a combination of strength in the horse, the jockey, the trainer, and the owner towards the focus of winning what is known in horse racing as The Triple Crown.

I personally enjoyed the presentation of this horse and its amazing achievement in its speed and endurance. In the end I was brought back to God’s Word simply by the fact that God’s Word was quoted in conjunction with such a horse. Again, God’ speaks of such great qualities of the horse. But at the same time I had read another part of God’s Word that also mentioned the horse.

“Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.”
Psalm 147:7-11

God, who created the horse and with all of creation said, It is very good, and then spoke of its typical characteristics and qualities to a man named Job, is noted as ‘not delighting in the strength of the horse’. There are many true stories of great accomplishments among men in meeting amazing challenges and overcoming of which ‘Secretariat’ is one. These stories are realistically known as once in a lifetime achievements that hold a record or several records that others only dream of or attempt unsuccessfully to reach. They are held out as ‘good examples’ and ‘role models’ which inspire what man considers ‘greatness’. But here God has an amazing qualification for what He takes pleasure in: “The LORD takes pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” This is not what many consider unreachable goals. This is in fact from man’s capability something every man and woman ever born, save the son of perdition, can have said of them, The LORD takes pleasure in them. Over the great qualities of the horse which God himself stated in His rebuff of Job? Yes. Over all creation of which God said, It is very good? Yes. Yet man so often cannot grasp how fearing God and hoping in his mercy is all that is necessary or even required for the LORD to take pleasure in them. This is truly in the capability of any man. That is how God designed man in his own image.

FEAR GOD AND HOPE IN HIS MERCY.

“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah 55:6, 7 Isaiah 55 is a chapter about change, a chapter about impossibilities as man thinks. In the first verse the prophet speaks God’s invitation, “he that hath no money: come ye, buy, and eat”.

In the Spiritual realm as in the physical realm ‘a body at rest tends to stay at rest’. In the Spiritual realm the way this is said,
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey.” (Romans 6:16)

Here we are told to ‘Seek ye the Lord’. Make seeking the Lord part of your want to. Make calling upon him an active part of your life; and everyday part of your life.

‘Let the wicked forsake his way’. Wickedness is an action in a direction. Again out of Romans 6 there are two ways. This is no fallacy of bifurcation. God Himself has declared there are two ways. The wicked forsaking his way can only turn to God.

‘And the unrighteous man his thoughts’. Righteousness is a state of being. Again there are only two possibilities with thoughts: the are righteous or they are unrighteous.

‘Return unto the Lord.’ There is only one place to return, only one way to go when the way of the wicked is forsaken. The comfort and result of change here is that ‘he will have mercy upon him’.

‘And to our God’, the ‘Judge of the whole earth’ as Abraham declared. Never fear going to the Judge this way because ‘he will abundantly pardon’. Now a pardon is a pardon, a release from the penalty of a serious offense, the document stating so. But ‘abundantly’? The way of the wicked and the thoughts of the unrighteous have great offense and penalty against the Holy God who is the Judge of the whole earth. It is not just one offense, but many offenses, and He will abundantly pardon.

Let the Holy Spirit today be the force that affects change in my life.