A Legacy of Praying Faith

I tenderly opened the journal, and its pages almost crumbled in my hands. It’s over 100 years old, after all!  And there I saw the handwriting that tells the owner’s name: Mabel Salsbury Dohm, my Father’s Mother.

           

And I cried as I read her opening Scripture:

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” 

Revelation 3:20 

For you see, I know a part of her story that makes that verse so very valuable.  But maybe I should back up a little, and explain how I know these things, since Mabel died almost a decade before I was born.

I grew up hearing about Grandma Mabel, and what a Godly woman she was.  She was the second wife of my Dad’s Father, after his first wife died, and she, who was known as a beloved Sunday School Teacher soon found out that a pre-teen stepson was a bigger handful than a room of docile Sunday School children.  My Dad told us that this petite little woman wasn’t afraid to be stern when firmness was required, and she had soon won the affection of her new stepson. 

Not too many years later, and their home was filled with the addition of a new son, my Uncle Murlin, and four years later my Dad was born, the baby of the family.  These were the early 1920’s and modern day medicine was still a long way off. So when my Father contracted polio, the family all huddled together to do anything they could to save his life.  But my Grandma Mabel was a woman of prayer, and she sought God to preserve her son’s life.  A miracle happened on the darkest night, and my Father was fully healed, with only a paralysis of his eye movements!

But the bigger prayer life that consumed my Grandma Mabel was for the Spiritual lives of her sons.  This quote in her journal went deep in my heart as I read it: 

“O Lord, cleanse us! O Lord, keep us! O Lord, accept of our persons and services, through Him who is our ‘strength’ and our ‘Redeemer.’"

 

I am so honored to be sharing the rest of this post over at

Beloved Prodigal

with my good friend, Anna Smit, and the team there.

God is doing an amazing work

as He is calling the prodigals

home to His heart. 

Come join me to read

about the bigger miracles 

that came because of Grandma Mabel's prayers

by clicking here.

And this is Week 2 for The Legacy of Faith series that I am sharing weekly in January. You may subscribe to this blog to get these posts delivered directly to your inbox.

I am linking with:

Barbie Swihart,#Glimpses 
#LMMLinkup 

#Teaandwordtuesday
#Sittingamongfriends
#Tuneinthursday

25 Days of Christmas ~ Day 17

“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.” Matthew 2:9

A miracle led the way for those Wise Men. But the miracle appeared in the sky, as a star. It was the same night sky that they had watched every night. 
 
It was the same charts that they had poured over every day. The miracle came to them where they led their everyday lives. . . .

To read more of this post

please join me over at

Purposeful and Meaningful 

where my friend Ifeoma Samuel 

and I have prayerfully prepared

short Devotions and activities

for you and your family.

Be Blessed during this last week 

before Christmas!

~~~~~~~

And the #HolyHaiku on Instagram continues

with my friend Susan Shipe

@hopehearthome,

where the prompt for today is "Hospitality." 

  My Vietnamese daughter-in-law's family

gave me a beautiful gift of 

hospitality

from their HOME.

How can I not give the gift of

hospitality

from my HEART

when the King 

of all the Universe

has come to

dwell with me? 

I am linking with:

#LMMLinkup 

 

 

 

25 Days of Christmas ~ Day 11

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:18

 

 She was so young. The betrothal was well known in her village—it was the way of life, and the expected path to take. 

 

But her heart bowed to Someone greater than just the traditions.

When the Holy One sets before you HIS way of living, how could you refuse?

 She was so young. But she chose the way of Holiness . . . 

To finish reading, please join me at

Purposeful and Meaningful 

where I am so blessed to be sharing

with my good friend Ifeoma Samuel.

We are prayerfully offering

short devotions and activities

for your family this Advent Season.

Be blessed as you prepare for Christmas!

~~~~~~

And the #HolyHaiku continues with

my friend Susan Chamberlain Shipe

@hopehearthome 

where today's prompt is

"Adoration."

 

Even if the days 

are painful or hard,

I pray that we will come 

before the King

and let Him melt our hearts

with His own Love. 

I am linking with:

#LMMLinkup 

Barbie Swihart, #Glimpses 

  

25 Days of Christmas: Day 3

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

 

The manger scenes that we create are so clean and cute. The animals all stare so lovingly at the family gathered there. The lambs seem to bow next to the donkey and the cow. But that first Christmas was hardly clean and cute. It was a real setting, with real, dusty animals, bleating and lowing and pushing against each other.  

And the baby who became God’s own lamb, faced our own real sins that were anything but cute and clean. 

To finish reading this post join me at

Purposeful and Meaningful 

where I am honored to share with my friend 

Ifeoma Samuel as she hosts

 "The 25 Days of Christmas"

with short Family Devotions, Activities, and Prayers

to help make the Season more meaningful!

~~~~~~~

And, here's another #HolyHaiku offering

where the prompt for today is "lights."

Follow along with my friend Susan Shipe,

@hopehearthome 

for the daily prompts on Instagram.

 

(This is a fun family memory from a few years ago!)

May our Lord and King bless you 

this first Sunday in Advent

as you and your family prepare your hearts

for His arriving! 

I am linking with

Barbie Swihart, #Glimpses  

#LMMLinkup 

Golden Dew

It was only for a few minutes.

Really.

I should have been ok

for a little garden work.

But I had pushed

my limits

beyond the boundaries.

And I collapsed on the chair, willing the tears away as I closed my eyes.

Into the haze there whispered a voice I recognized so well, asking me to open my eyes and look around me.  I saw the dew drops sparkling white all around me. 

Yes, I know. I see the beauty. What is it that you are asking of me Lord?

And then, I saw a strange sparkling, different than the rest. For a full minute, one of the drops of dew sparkled golden, gleaming and beaming straight at me. And a hope rose in my heart, in spite of the pain.  I remembered all the words. I remembered my Lord's promises. . . .

"More precious than gold" 

"Of greater worth than gold"

You might say it was just the angle of my head, or the glint through the haze.  I know the reasons. But I also know the ways of ONE so glorious that He tilts the earth,

and spins the clouds, and raises the dew,

for the eyes of His Beloved,

so that we would look up

and catch HIS gaze

calling us closer to His heart.

 "The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb."

Psalm 19:9-10 NIV 

Golden Dew

How Long, Oh Lord?
The pain wraps around me
And I am felled
Like a tree toppled, thudding
As it drops to the ground.

                                 

The questions swirl

Heavenward, in the morning

Dew, light swimming

Around my foggy eyes

As they narrow and shut.

“Open your eyes.”

The order comes at me

Like a voice from

The sky, and I scrunch

The sweat off my face

As I try to gaze out.

While the pain throbs

I see what had lain

Hidden before me:

Sparkles gathered on

Every blade of grass

And each leaf tip.

Colors shimmering

White and bright, twinkle

From the warm sun’s

Beckoning to waken

The early morning life.

“But one drop.”

Voice urges again

To see with new eyes

A Drop of Glory catches

The sun but won’t let go

And reflects a Golden ray.

                                 

My pain remains

Underneath a covering

So sweet and exploding with

Glory in my heart

As I have touched Heaven.

How Long, Oh Lord?

While the Glory remains

Your Golden Glory rests

Inside my heart, Heaven

Holds me here.

And I am loved.

--BG

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV 

Is there a pain gripping you today?

Have you fallen in shame as you pushed the boundaries?

There is a Golden Glory

shining for you to see

A grace given just for you

And a love poured out 

To lift your eyes

And catch a glimpse

Of Heaven's Love

Waiting for you. 

I am linking this week with:
#LMMLinkup 
Meg Weyerbacher, #TeaAndWordTuesday 
Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday