BRADLEY

This is so cool, and only God could orchestrate something like this! Jennifer's friend, Linda has been with her son, Bradley at MUSC for some time now. He has been battling cancer for over ten years now, and is one of the people that my neighbor made a pillowcase for awhile back! Well, Bradley has finally been declared cancer free after months of treatments....(Yea!)He will be coming home next week, and the wonderful part of this news is that one of his doctors lives in Ridgeland, where Bradley will be going to school in the fall, and his main cancer doctor lives on Lady's Island!For those of you on my journey list who don't know where that is, it is in Beaufort where he lives! How cool is that? Linda even boards her horses at the same stable where her doctor boards
his horse! ..........Talk about a God who could orchestrate such detail!
I know about this kind of God, because when I moved here, the radiologist that read my medical chart from my brain hemorrhage in Aiken in 1996 had moved to Beaufort and was at Beaufort Memorial Hospital! When I was told I had a dark spot on my mammogram, I told the nurse to get Andy Jackson, and he might be able to clear it up!Sure enough, it was the tubing from my shunt!I would have spent months fighting that one!
Our great God is a Great God of every detail for His own children!
Woo Hoo!
Becky

ETERNAL CUSTOM SECURITY

I have a friend, whose business is called "Custom Security".Bob customizes security for homes and businesses, so that you will feel safe and secure. He can do this because he has found his true security in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.God has also given us some safe and secure security too!He has given us this guaranteed eternal security through His Son, Jesus Christ. No matter what our age; weight; height, or size, we can all be guaranteed this security into this eternal location, that He has for us! He has customized our dwelling place in Heaven above and has secured it for us. You can tell
Bob if you want him to secure your home for you, or not.
It would be wise, to ask Jesus to secure your Home above too!
He has your Eternal Custom Security!
Becky

POLISH

I love to change my nail polish! Infact, my outfits just aren't complete unless my nail polish matches the clothes. It just isn't finished, because the polish finishes it off!
In the same way, the Holy Spirit finishes us off. He will polish off the good work He started in us.
Sometimes, when I write these journeys,they sound okay, so I read them to Nellah for her approval. When I sit down at the computer to blog them, the Holy Spirit will "polish" them off and often times change my entire wording for the better!
It is an awesome process to watch, especially if you aren't use to it! Then I will call Nellah and read the revised edition to her, and we will both chuckle!
It's hard to explain if it's never happened to you, but it is incredible and really neat.
I couldn't come up with this on my own if I tried too. He's my polish remover and my top coat all in one!
Becky

READY & WAITING

Since I am awaiting the arrival of this precious new grandchild....Emery Lynn, I have my suitcase all packed, so that I will be ready to leave at the drop of a hat! (Of course I will still be in panic mode,I'm sure!) I need to always be ready to leave!
Christ has told us to always stay alert and ready too, because we know not the hour when the Son of Man will return for us!
We don't have to pack up anything either,because He's got everything ready and waiting for us in Heaven above!
Becky

ARAYA HOPE

Every so often, God does one of His extra spectacular blessings, and it just blows me away! When David jr. died, he did so on April 29th, so that day is one I never look forward to. I don't care how many years go by, but that day just rolls back over in my mind, and I am so blue. It will be seventeen years since that blonde headed twenty year old was on this earth and hugged his Mama goodbye, and yet when the 29th rolls around it will seem like it was only yesterday.Well, God has given me a double blessing this year.
George married Melissa, who has four children, and her youngest's name is Araya Hope. Her birthday is on April 29th, and is indeed my new ray of hope for that date!Now that Kelly has been taken off her bed rest, she could deliver at any time, and I thought, wouldn't it be just like our Mighty God to have our precious Emery arrive on April 29th!
Kelly and I would be blessed for such a tribute to her brother on that date.
From the ashes come beauty.....
We'll see!
Becky

SQUEAKY CLEAN

When I am over at Edisto, and I wash my hair,I have to rinse it so that it squeaks,to make sure that it's clean, because the water over there is soft,and I'm never sure it's rinsed thoroughly unless I do! I can't count on my hair feeling clean, because
it always feels soapy soft. I have to count on what I know to be true from the sound of the squeak!
The word of God is the same way! You don't ever want to count on how you feel concerning God's word. Feelings will fool you every time!The word of God is the same yesterday;today,
and tomorrow, and will never change!You need to stand firm on His promises and on exactly what He promises He will do....and He will do it!
Even if you don't feel like it, God does......and His word will be there for you......always!
Becky

THE LINES OF CHARACTER

Daddy spent a lot of time teaching me how to draw, and one of the biggest characteristics of a picture, to him, was that the picture should be outlined or framed! He said it always set a picture off,and gave it boundaries. That meant so much to him, and is a trait that has stayed with me for all these many years in any
painting or drawing that I do.When God gives us episodes in our lives , He gives us a framework to live by. He outlines and highlights the areas we should stay in,
not to punish us, but to show us where our glorious habitat is!He has given us so much within the framework of our lives to enjoy,that we don't need to go outside of those boundaries for anything.He frames those boundaries, because they are our protective
barriers!
The outline of my paintings or pictures set my them apart,
and the framed boundaries of our christian character should set us apart too!
Becky

GOD'S WORD

Several months ago, while I was over at Edisto,I was making up my bed, and my shoe got caught up in the fleece blanket, causing me to trip and fall on my knee on the floor! There was no-one left at the house, so I ended up crawling my way to the
kitchen, so I could get an ice pack to put on my swollen and bruised knee..... Ouch!
If you're standing on the Promises of God, you will never trip and fall, because His word never moves, or changes, and it will never trip you up! You can always count on it, because it's the same yesterday; today and tomorrow!It might be kind of hard to make up your bed with the Promises of God, but those Promises are good for just about everything else!
Becky

ILLEGAL ALIEN

I love this country, but I surely am glad I'm only a temporary traveler, and that I'm just an illegal alien here. My home is really in Heaven above and I'll be ready to take up residence there whenever my Father comes to pick me up and take me back Home!
Becky

HE HOLDS MY HEART

This was the sweetest journey today!
Marla came by this afternoon, and gave me a wrapped gift from Cindy Kerr.She couldn't
wait to see my expression when I unwrapped it either! Oh did the tears ever flow, as I opened up this "Willow Tree" little boy holding a heart!Cindy knew that David jr. would always hold his Mother's heart, as would her Ryan, and that this gesture would surely touch my heart.What she didn't know, was that Kelly and I collect them, and do so as our own private tribute to her brother and my son!
Only God knew!
Isn't God tender to have someone do something like that for another Mom?
Becky

GOOD GRIEF!

This fall will find us coming together again at the beach, and we will be adding to our numbers this year. We have several new Mom’s coming this September and it will be a rough year for several of them too, because it will be their very first year without that special person in their home. This will be a hard time for them, as it would be for anyone, but the help and friendships developed here at the beach enable us to maintain our sanity , throughout the years to come. It’s all because of the way God works through each of us, during this time we are together. There is a bond that developes, that can’t be broken.When you lose a child, nothing in your life is the same. You don’t ever look at things the same way again.Yes, there is grief, but ours is good grief!
We have lost our children, but for a brief time, because we have the assurance that we will see them again, and that’s why the grief is good! Becky

I CHOOSE THIS!

I have decided that as I get older, there are some things that I need to do that I can carry with me for later on in my life. When I get out of the bed in the morning, I can either grumble and complain about how much I ache and hurt all over, or I can thank God for the day that He has given me.
I choose the latter!
Whether I am gonna like the day or not doesn't depend on me(thank goodness!).
It's a decision I make ahead of time, and one that I automatically make and I can either settle in and be glum, or accept life with its ups and downs and go on!
I choose the latter!
I accept and thank God that I was able to have a successful hip replacement back in 2003, and a shoulder replacement that past June of 2010. I could still be grumbling over what pain I really didn't have, or thank God for giving me the doctor He gave me
and the therapists He gave me....
I choose the latter!
All in all, I think God wants us to make those conscious decisions as we get older, but He wants us to base them on His Word and what it tells us to do! That's not always easy, but it's always God! He stays the same, day and night; when we're young or when we're old, so as I get older and my steps get slower and my mind really slows down, I will fall back on the Lord more and more, because even though Becky will change, my God won't! Even though my bank account will dwindle away, the account thatI have laid up for myself in Heaven will never ever dwindle away!
Why, it will just keep growing, and growing and maybe one day I'll have a crown for a mighty special King!
I choose this!
Becky

SUPERMAN!

Just as the humble Clark Kent changed into
Superman, when he stepped into that phone
booth, we too can change into new "super"
creatures when we step into the arms of Christ!
Becky

HAVE YOU?

If you have accepted Christ, then you are the only people who
have lived in hell and lived to tell about it!
Becky

EVERYTHING

Not everything you need is found in Wal Mart!
Actually everything you need is found in the word of God!
Becky

CONNECTOR

When Kelly drove me over to her doctor's appointment in Augusta, she parked on the second level of the parking deck at University Hospital's parking deck. We then walked over through the connector to the third floor where we watched the babies in the nursery. From there we took the elevator up to the fourth floor to her doctor's appointment.I realized that I could go anywhere by using that connector,because it made it so easy to connect me to other places.
Christ has also made an easy way for us to cross over from a sinful life into a Holy life with His Father. He has connected us to the God of the Universe, by walking us through His own connecting bridge. This bridge is God's Son, Jesus Christ!
You don't have to walk to the third or fourth floor either!
No sir!
You can walk right into His presence!
Wow!
You just have to accept that this connector will get You there,and walk right through. He will open His arms and say "Come on in"!
So, start walkin'!
Becky

SLOW AND STEADY

While Tara and I were over at Edisto, we had a fun day, by having our nails done! While
at the salon, an elderly man came in and was reading to his grandkids, the story about the
"Tortoise and the Hair." He asked them who won the race and they both answered that the
hair had won, but that in the real life story, the tortoise had won! He asked them with a smile,"Why did the tortoise win the race?" To which they both answered in unison.....
"Slow and steady wins the race!" Oh did we ever chuckle over that one!
How true that is though, when we are slow and steady with our reading of God's word!
If we run the race set before us, let's be steady and start off slow. In the long run, God's word will carry us across the finish line!
Becky

EVERYTHING

Everything you need,is not found in WalMart!
Actually, everything you need is found in the Word of God!
Becky

THAT'S COOL!

I had the neatest experience today at lunch, and one where God showed His awesome intervening in the life of a young man. I was having lunch downtown at Kathleen's with a friend who moved to Tyler, Texas. Shari was telling me about her daughter having finally come back to know the Lord, after a long bout on hard drugs, and having a beautiful baby,and I was reveling in that, when she told me that her grandson was graduating from high school and wanted so badly to go to college, but that his folks couldn't afford to send him. His Father told him that he would probably have to go to the local junior college first, where he could still play college football. Shari received a phone call just yesterday from her son, and he told her that West Point had been looking at some film of the quarterback that they were interested in, and the plays that they kept
seeing were of a linebacker who kept sacking the quarterback!That linebacker just happen to be Shari's grandson!
West Point offered Quentin a full scholarship to West Point!
Now, what chance would he have ever had to go to West Point, if the creator of the Universe hadn't arrange that film session?
Cool, huh?
But then that's our God!
Becky

GERMS

One Christmas when I was a little girl. I caught a bug, that gave me Whooping cough so badly that I missed almost all of my Christmas holiday. I remember it so well, because I couldn't come out and do a thing on Christmas Day! Whatever germ had given it to me, had done a bang up job of ruining my Christmas....thank you very much!
When our body is invaded by anything foreign, like a germ,it reacts by going haywire! The warning bells go off!Your temperature skyrockets upwards; your insides get sick;
Things just aren't right all over!
The body of Christ is no different when a germ of "false doctrine" comes creeping into the church! When someone starts teaching false doctrine, the entire body should react like a sick body.....They shouldn't like it one bit, and want to get rid of it!
A sick person gets the germ out of them, and a church body will want to get the sick germ out of them too! Common sense tells us that this remedy isn't just chicken soup.
Nope!
It's taking the word of God, exactly as it's written and bathing
Yourself in it, again and again, until its aroma has refreshed the entire church!
Becky

BRINGING IN THE SHEEP

When I was a little girl and we would sing "Bringing In The Sheaves," I would always sing "Bringing In The Sheep," because that's what I thought it said! Folks said I was being silly and funny, but to me, it made perfect sense. After all, we were His sheep and one day He was gonna bring us into His Kingdom!
Becky

WISTERIA

I love the springtime, when all the new growth is coming out and one of the prettiest blooms is the Wisteria Vine. It drapes so beautifully around the trees and it just keeps looping its tendrils and vines around everything it sees. Those beautiful grape like clusters just enhance everything they surround.....
or so it seems!
The clusters, however, as pretty as they may seem, are a disguise for a more dangerous thief. Those vines will steal the life out of any plant that they surround, and it will eventually die!That beauty is a disguise for eventual death!
Sin looks the same way! It can come wrapped in beautiful packages, and can wrap itself around anybody, if they're not careful. If you unwrap that beautiful "sin" package, it will eventually cost you something, for the wages of sin, is death!
I'd recommend not opening it !
Becky

HUMPTY DUMPTY

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, and Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All those Kings's horses, and all those King's men couldn't put Humpty back together again.
Well, it's no wonder, because only the King can put people back together and He's been doing that since the original fall!
Becky

PLOP! PLOP! FIZ! FIZ!

"Plop! Plop! Fiz! Fiz! Oh What A Relief It Is!"
Can't you just see little Speedy AlkaSeltzer in his little cap coming along and plopping that little tablet that fizzes in the glass of water?
Someday our Lord and Savior is going to come back and reign forever and then we'll be able to say.....
"Oh What A Relief He Is!"
And all without a tablet too!
Becky

SPELL CHECK

One of the neatest things I did with my children in my PE classes,was to teach them how to spell, using their bodies. They would shape their bodies into letters of the alphabet, and then I would ask them to spell a word using their bodies. The teaching tool came when I reminded them to spell going from left to right,because they almost always placed their "body" letters from right to left!
Our bodies say a lot about our own lifestyles for the Lord too!They can be the greatest conversation pieces for the Lord we will ever have, if we will present ourselves as a living and Holy sacrifice to the Lord above!When we present ourselves before other people in this manner, we are making a statement.....A sentence for the Lord by spelling out our actions and how He controls our lives.
Actions speak louder than words in this sentence!
Becky

THE GUIDE SHEET

When I was in high school, one of my favorite classes was Home Economics. I had a delightful teacher, that I still keep in touch with today. Mrs. Clement stressed the
importance of following the guide sheet when we were sewing our dresses. It was hard for me to learn to do, at first, but in the long run, it paid off for me to follow the directions. Everything I needed to know for success in making that dress was on the guide sheet, if I would just read it and follow the directions!
That's why it was called the Guide Sheet!(lol)
God has given us His very own Guide Sheet, of a sorts!He has set up his very own set of "do's and don't's" and a guide for healthy living in the Bible!Of course, if we don't read or follow that guide, that's another matter!
You won't end up with a messed up dress, but you surely will have a messed up life ,that the dress won't fit on!
Becky

BANANA CAKE

The last time I made Banana Cake, I decided I would try and make it in two smaller pans, so I divided the recipe in half.So much for a great idea! It didn't work, so don't even try it!
The recipe calls for a 9x13 pan for a reason and that's what I needed to use. Nothing else will work. When a recipe calls for something ,there's usually a reason for it!
God's word is the same way! When God tells us something,there is a reason!
(I'm betting it's for our good, too!)
It's best to not start changing His word around! Especially if we don't want to end up with a mess and foul up the best recipe for life ever!
Becky

TAKE TIME OUT!

This journey is about my daughter, Kelly, and what God is doing in her life. She won't see it just now, but she will in a few years.Her having to be on bed rest is her "brain hemorrage."My having a brain hemorrage was really a turning point in my life after losing David junior. My life has never been the same,nor has it been more rewarding! I'm at that point and age, where I can just kick back and enjoy my Lord and truly enjoy Him like
You're suppose to!
I think Kelly is going through this time because it's forcing her to be still and know her Lord more intimately. If she's like me,she'll go kicking and screaming, but when she goes, she will love every minute of it! She will come out of this time refined as pure gold! The process will hurt, but in the long run she will be a priceless reflection of the Savior.
Only God could come up with this solution....
A head rest for me, and a bed rest for her!
Becky

THE GAME THAT'S NOT FUN

One of the games that my elementary children loved to play, was a great exercise in teaching them right from left. We used an old concrete gym floor,so I painted a straight line on the floor, with the numbers 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 on both sides of the line. I had students stand ,facing each other at the "0" and would then call out a math problem, such as 2x2 to the left. Whichever student jumped to the answer first, received the points for their team!The only problem, was that some of the students wouldn't think for themselves and would copy what the other person was doing.Inevitably, they would jump the wrong direction! They followed the wrong direction. The couldn't think on their own, and they
followed what the other person was doing.
Scripture tells us that in the latter days there will be more and more people who will be unable to stand on their own, and they won't be able to give a defense of the gospel.They will just fall in line with everyone else....
What a shame, when the hope that lies within us is so worth it!
This was just a game; it was fun, and it was over after 60 minutes!
Hell isn't a game; it isn't fun, and it will never end!
Becky

KLEENEX

We practiced singing the Saturday before our Easter musical,and I needed a Kleenex during the practice, but I didn't have one. One of the girls sitting next to me, pulled one out of her sleeve and gave it to me, and I got so tickled!
Yep! Another Grandmother memory......
She would always take those Kleenex and tuck them up her sleeve as a reminder to her of giving a defense of the gospel!When she needed to give a defense of the gospel, she had to tuck scripture away in her heart, and when she needed to give that defense, she could pull it out and defend away!It's wise to have your own Kleenex and your own scripture too! Never can tell when you'll need both.
You can give a defense of the gospel, but I'm pretty sure you'll also want to defend your own Kleenex!
Becky

WHEEZER

This time, when I stayed at Edie's, I was in for a real treat!Edie has been meeting with two University of SC/Aiken students with a Bible study and supper for several weeks now, and this day they were coming over for breakfast,and again for supper. Megan and Sara were eager to learn God's word and how applicable it is in today's world.
What a blessing to be able to share some thoughts with them about God's word. They were excited to learn that God works in the "little" events of life, as well as the "big" ones. He cares for every little detail, and this excited them! What a blessing to know that this excitement is now going on in our young folks today. Someone told Megan that she reminded them of "Wheezer "in "Steel Magnolias."
Oddly enough, my former pastor's daughter in Aiken, Joy Simoneau, told her Mother that I reminded her of a Christian Wheezer when she first met me!
(lol)
Becky

EVERGREEN

When I drove to Aiken today, I passed a variety of trees along the side of the road that were evergreens, but the trees next to them had a shock of a deep burnt orange on them. The brilliant green had finally run its course, and faded into new colors. It was quite evident looking at the two trees next to them too!
I'm reminded, when I look at those trees, to enjoy life, because there is a expiration date! We can't always be young, and "green" with youth, because the colors of age creep in fade out our expressions. Our bodies have been placed on this earth for a certain time frame, but we are being continually renewed, by the renewing of our minds, so even though our time span on this earth may be winding down, our souls and minds are winding up for Christ, and they will be evergreen!
Becky

STANDING OUT!

When I drove to New Holland today, to meet Phyllis. I passed a clump of trees that were bright green, along side of several that looked like they were almost dead! They were shades of the former tree, but no green was evident, so the life was stripped from them! I had no clue as to why the difference.
When we become Christians, there is a big difference in how we are to look and act. Our minds are being continually renewed, and the old things have passed away, and the new has come. Our former shell of a body now houses a bright and new body that
houses Jesus Christ, so when we stand out for Jesus Christ, we
really stand out for the better!
Becky

IT'S FUNNY

It's funny when the people you grow up with, and grow along with are getting on up in age, along with you too!Pretty soon, all of them will be dying ,or about to die!
There aren't many of you left, and your hair color turns a color that reminds you of your Grandparents!(It's not funny either!)
Suddenly, you find that people are talking lower, for some funny reason! There is nothing that you can leave your children that they will appreciate and understand. They just wouldn't get our values in today's world.
Better leave them something that will last, instead!
Tell them about a Savior named Jesus, and what He did on that cross for you and me! Remind them that all they have to do is to accept Him and believe .....
And then let Jesus do all the rest!
Becky