Lanita's Legacy

ONE YEAR TRIBUTE

2011-12-30T00:05:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time I ever met John Franklin. He was teaching a Sunday School lesson on the priesthood and he wore this Hebrew looking prayer shawl. I knew then in a strange way that he would become a part of our lives. Now to say that I knew he would become my son-in-law is probably pushing it a little but nevertheless he did.

John was a different kind of "regular guy". OK, he was not a regular guy . He spoke his mind and he had the confidence of a giant.

John was all about celebration. He celebrated everything. From a pay raise to a cured hang nail John found some way to make a celebration out of it. And I just know that he is having the time of his life in heaven. Because heaven is the celebration place folks and if you are going there and you do not like to celebrate; you better get in some training before you get there. And just know, that little speech was for me. Until I met John Franklin, I did not know how to celebrate, but I learned a thing or two in the 81/2 years he was in our family.

John was also very serious about some things too. He was very serious about souls being saved and people growing in the Lord. He was also serious about his family knowing that he loved them. He showed that he was serious about these two things by actions not words. He did some of the craziest things just to show Penny how much he loved her. He also did some awfully time consuming elaborate things to minister to people so that they could see his care and not just hear it from his mouth.

Yes, some of John's friends and family thought he was weird (even me sometimes), but I think maybe when we get to heaven and we are reunited and all the pretenses are gone; some of us stuff shirt-traditional-Pharisees might just see that John was closer to reality than we ever thought possible ..

My life is richer because I knew him. Our family and the world has suffered a great loss because he went to heaven sooner than we think he should, but God is in control and for whatever reason He took him at 41 I will rejoice that I got to know him on this earth for as long as I did... and I can't wait to see him on the other side...And prove him wrong about so many things we disagreed on theologically..HA! Like it will make any difference then.

WE MISS YOU JOHN--FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS

Love in Him,

JOY!!

2011-12-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

Joy!! It's a word you see a lot this time of year. It also came up in my Daily Bible Reading today and I just wanted to share how the Lord encouraged my heart with this word today:

Psalm 126:5-6
Those who sow in tears
will reap songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping,
carrying seeds to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him.

This verse is the inspiration for the old hymn "Bringing in the Sheaves" by Knowles Shaw written in 1874. And of course Jesus used this Psalm for the basis of His teaching on the Word in Matt. 13:1-9.

There is a lot of Jewish history and good theology in this whole Psalm, but I will not bore you with the details. One point I do want to share is something I read from James Montgomery Boices' commentary on these verses and I quote:

"Neither the Father nor the Son is unmoved by your sorrows, God knows what it is to weep. He knows your suffering. He also knows that one day those tears will be wiped away, and they will be replaced by indescribable JOY that will last forever."

And in the Revelation we read: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

So, for all of you out there that just might be having to search for JOY this year at Christmas;

REJOICE FOR THE LORD HAS COME!
and will come again............
Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.........!

Love in Him

Legacy Building Afternoon

2011-10-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

I had a great time this afternoon with my grandchildren while their mommy is sick. It got me to thinking though. In years to come will they remember a cloudy Sunday afternoon when their mommy was sick and grandmother played DSI games, read Bible stories, and helped with Awana bible books memorization? We worked on the hardest twelve in the Bible. Even Bible woman grandmother had to brush up on these 12. How would you do?

Hosea Jonah Habakkuk Zechariah
Joel Micah Zephaniah Malachi
Amos Nahum Haggai
Obadiah

These are the hardest to remember because we do not use them very much. I mean; when is the last time your pastor said "turn in your Bibles to Zephaniah 2"???

Anyway, I was just wondering .........someday in the future will the brother & sister be reminiscing and say: "remember the afternoon not long after our daddy died and mommy was sick and grandmother read to us, played DSI games with us and helped us learn the books of the Bible, then dressed us in our Bible hero costumes for Awanas???

Not tooting my own horn here, but just pondering where all of this will end up? Hopefully more than just a memory, but if that's all; it was worth it to this grandmother.

We are leaving a legacy; but our question should be of what "sort" it is?

Make a memory today.

It will do your heart good.

Love in Him,

AND..AND..AND

2011-10-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems that grandson #3 aka J P has been the inspiration of both the Pickard women's blogs today. J P talks very well, but sometimes he has a hard time getting it out and you can tell he's trying to get together what he wants to say and he will say "and"..."and"...."and" which I learned this morning in my One Year Bible that this conjunction is very biblical..The reading in Psalms was a psalm of Asaph(the choir director) Psalm 78:1-31, but the part I want to focus on is verses 1-8.

(1) Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!!
(2) I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, (3) things that we have heard
and known, that our fathers have told us. (4) We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and His might, and the wonders that He has done.
(5) He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, (6) that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, ..and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Now for J P, his ands are to keep his mouth moving while he thinks of what he's going to say next. But what are all of these 9 "ands" for; AND what can we learn here? This whole Psalm is about telling the good news about our great God to the next generation.

So, AND what??

and known
and His might
and wonders and appointed
and arise and tell
and not forget
and not be like rebellious fathers

We have a story to tell to not only the nations, but to our very own children and grandchildren..It was commanded in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6-good reading for all)..that was not an option if you were an Israelite. The story of how God chose them and carried them and protected them and made them into His people out of all the peoples of the earth.

OH, Parents, Grandparents, Christian relatives....if we do not tell them everyday that there is still a God Who is in control and Who loves them and wants them to follow Him ....Who will? AND will you AND will I commit to do that today?

Thank you J P. The word "And" is a very good word.

Love in Him,

OLD AGE AND GRAY HAIRS?

2011-09-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

Grandmother & Papa

There was a wonderful passage in our One Year Bible reading this morning that I just had to share since it speaks directly to this legacy thing that I haphazardly try to perpetuate on this blog. Now I do not consider myself "old" and I only have a "few" gray hairs, but this verse gave me such comfort that I have gone almost all day in it's strength. Rejoice with me in God's ever faithful Word!

PSALM 71: 17-24. ESV (Yes, it's long; but it will not hurt you to read these words from the Book of Life; even if you too have already read this today.)

17 "O God, from my youth You have taught me, and I still proclaim Your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your might to another generation, Your power to all those to come.
19 Your righteousness, O God , reaches the high heavens. You Who have done great things, O God,
Who is like You?
20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth You will bring me up again. 21 You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.
22 I will also praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel
23 My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to You; my soul also, which You have redeemed.
24 And my tongue will talk of Your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.

Love in Him

TRIBUTE TO CHARLES M ROBERTS

2011-09-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Charles Roberts - Pastor

Today I want to honor Bro. Charles Roberts who was my pastor for 34 years...... truly a living legacy. He retired on August 31, 2011 and his last Sunday to preach in that capacity was Sunday Sept. 18, 2011 as we celebrated his long tenure at Denman Avenue Baptist Church.

How do you honor such a man? He was my Pastor, is my friend, my brother and perhaps the greatest counselor outside of the Holy Spirit that I've ever had. Two words come to mind as I try to describe him: FAITHFUL and LOVING . Everything he did as our Pastor he did within the context of these two attributes. He did not always say what I wanted to hear, but I knew they were wise words that came from his lips and would ultimately be for my good.

I am not so sure that my legacy thus far would look like it does if it hadn't been for this godly man in my life. He has seen all of us through some of the roughest times: illness, sin, death, disappointments, divorce, job loss, aging.... and some of the happiest times: children born, new homes, children married, grandchildren, spiritual growth, retirement.

Selfishly, I am a little anxious about not having a pastor that "knows" me and my "stuff" at this trying time of my life, but I know my God and He too is Faithful and Loving and all His Words are true. So I will continue to serve and live as Bro. Charles taught us over the years; by being steadfast and faithful to the cause of Christ and His body at Denman Ave Baptist Church..

THANK YOU BRO. CHARLES for all you have done and all you will continue to do in the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May all who come behind us find us faithful.

Love in Him,

A Summer of Service

2011-08-12T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well, we have survived the summer. Grandmother Camp was a roaring success. We learned all about freedom, our America and some of the people who helped to give us the wonderful country that we have. The finale production was complete with flags, banners, patriotic readings and lively songs. The best thing I learned was from the youngest member, J.P. One day at lunch he said: “ You take what you git and you don’t throw a fit.” Now I understand that little ditty is as old as Methusalah, but I had never heard it. Honestly!! Our family has definitely learned in the last 8 months that this little truth is so important in the living of life. Our lives are certainly a lot different than we would have expected 8 months ago. But nonetheless, we are not throwing a fit, or a pity party. Sorrowing yes, crying some yes, but the only fit going on is knowing that He is “fitting” us for His Kingdom.

The beginning of our summer started with a miracle of a sort. I was retired early from my job at the bank. I had planned to retire in 2 years. Well, God had a different plan and it is the most wonderful thing that has happened to me since I can’t remember when. He truly knows best. He knew I would never willingly quit a good paying job to stay home and help with the new life that we have all been called upon to live. So I say with the hundreds of others: “ I do not know how I ever worked 8-10 hours a day away from home. Now my days are filled with much more meaningful work and I praise Him for all of His wonderful ways. Truly His ways are not our ways. Great is Your faithfulness Lord unto me.!!

Penny had her first experience of teaching VBS (Vacation Bible School). Of course I had to put my two cents worth in since I taught 5^th grade VBS for several years albeit decades ago. But mostly I just kept her kids so she could get her “Big Apple Adventure room ready. The greatest treasure of this years’ VBS was that my granddaughter said yes to the call of Jesus on her little life. Praise God ! That is why we do it.

The McComber/Franklin gang had a great time at Disney World with no major clitches.

They made it safely there and back. Which was an answer to my daily prayer. It looked like Santa had come when all four kids got their stuff unloaded. What memories they made.

Then on to being a teacher’s assistant as Penny began to put her classroom together. Wow! What a great job she did.. It was my honor to help her. It brought back memories of several years ago when I helped Glenda get her first classroom ready.

Today Penny began her first official day of “In-Service”. Why do they call the week before school starts “In-Service” ? Seems to me they are “In-Service” for 10-11 months out of the year!! Such a good reminder for me as a servant for the Lord that I am to be “in-service” everyday of the year. I felt really bad because John would have had a big celebration. Maybe I will be a better servant on Monday August 22 when school starts and have a big send off for all 3 of the Franklins. I am open to any ideas. I am not the celebrating type, but I can learn.

So, now I am to what I do best; being a nanny, a cook, and a housekeeper and oh yes, a grandmother. Even in the ordinary everyday routine of life we are building memories, growing and learning to be more like our Lord.

The next big hurdle for us is that August 31, 2011 will be the last official day for our beloved pastor Charles Roberts . He is retiring after 35 years of faithful, loving service to this body of believers at Denman Avenue Baptist Church. I am happy for him because he is not in good health and as I said above being retired is a wonderful thing. I know that he will not retire from serving the Lord, but he will be able to do his service as he is able. I love this shepherd of the Lord and will miss him tremendously.

Life is all about change though; so we move forward in whatever God has called us to. Our part is to learn and live in such a way that those who come after us will love and honor the LORD until their time comes to learn and live and pass it on and learn and live and pass it on…that living legacy that we are all building. God’s Word says in PSALMS 127: 1 “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…. How’s your legacy building project coming along??

Love in Him,

John Franklin-A Living Legacy

2011-07-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

A Living Legacy

July 6^th, John Franklin’s first Birthday in heaven. I’m not sure he’s having a party. I hope so because the man celebrated everything for everybody!! I know when Jesus comes and we are on the New Earth we will celebrate all things good, but I’m not sure that’s happening now, never-the-less; I can give my tribute to this man who was adored by his family and friends and respected by everyone that knew him --even if they thought he was a little weird! HA! I’ll never understand why the good die young, but God is Sovereign and we must say: “Yes Lord”.

I have been researching and preparing for this years’ Grandmother & Papa Camp which is Red, White, Blue, & You. As you might guess-America’s Christian heritage. I came across something that was written about Abraham Lincoln that certainly was appropriate for him, but after I read it a couple of times I thought of my son-in-law John Franklin..

“ He died with every circumstance of tragedy, yet it is not the accident of his death, but the purpose of his life that is remembered”..

John Franklin’s death is and will always be a tragedy to us who loved him, but he knew his purpose and sought to fulfill that purpose everyday of his life. Do you know your purpose? It’s really simple. Our purpose in life is to bring glory to God our Father who made us for Himself just because He wanted to love us. John knew this and lived it daily. HAPPY BIRTHDAY John, and thank you for showing us what we are here for.

Save us a place at the table……we'll be along "da-rectly"....

Love in Him,

Lanita's Listening

2011-06-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite TV preachers is Charles Stanley. He has a favorite phrase: "If you're listening, say Amen." As I began to prepare for my Sunday School lesson for Sunday I realized the new unit is going to be about Freedom. So what, you might ask. Let me share with you the last four lessons and see what you think. The unit four months ago was Grieving and Comfort (John's moving to heaven only 1 month past); after that the month of lessons was on Leadership ( fired from a job of 32 years); the month we're ending Sunday is on Proper Perspective on Possessions (still adjusting to half the salary- I retired and am drawing Social Security and Bank Pension, but that is half what I was making. Now, as I look ahead the month of July we are going to study Freedom (Grandmother & Papa camp will be an attempt to teach our Christian heritage to the 4 grandkids ages 4-10. It's name this year is Red,White,Blue, You..and begins July 11th).

   Until today I had doubts about that being any fun and perhaps not age appropriate.. Now I know I am right on track. In fact, I just believe He might be reading my mail...or ......could it be, let it be...that I am finally listening to Him.. Jeremiah 33: 3 is known as God's phone number. Believe me I know His number..for He says: "Call unto me and I will show you great and mighty things which you don't have a clue about." (Lanita's paraphrase)

   Pray for us as we continue to meld 2 families and especially pray for Grandmother & Papa camp. I want my grandkids to know that this is a great country that was originally founded on Christian principles. God bless our America. This land is our land, God ordained it's founding; and I want them to know that.

Love in Him,

The Legacy Lives

2011-02-21T11:01:00.000-08:00

   "I know that my legacy did not end with John Franklin's
   earthly life.
   He was a wonderful son (in-law) but not my life."

This was all I could say as I thought about my blog being so long deserted. My strong daughter has continued her blog with grace and glory to our Father. Yet I find it so hard to pick up this contract with my Lord and myself of speaking words of encouragement about living our lives in order to leave a legacy; a legacy that not only blesses those who come after, but that glorifies our Heavenly Father. So today is the day that I will continue. Please bear with me as I pour out my heart regarding the most difficult hurt in my 63 years.
   Those of you who have followed in the past know that I am the mother of the author Penny Franklin: LivingAboveMinisteries. If you follow her, you know that she recently lost her pastor husband of 81/2 years. A loving husband and father to their 2 precious children ages 6 and 4 and he only 40.
   When you have lived 63 years you have been through enough of life's heartaches that you realize that we were not promised a rose garden in this thing called life . I am no different. I have survived many losses:
   father and mother to cancer at an early age
   trisomy -18 granddaughter still-born
   financial reverses
   divorce of a family member
   cancer scares of my own
just the whole gambit of this world's woes.
   But I have to tell you; this loss has almost knocked me down for the count. I would like to be abel to write that when this happened on December 30th that I was the stalwart Christian mother and grandmother that sustained everybody. But alas this is not the case. Maybe this is why I have been so hesitant to begin to post again.

   God has brought me once again to see that He is Sovereign. That reminds me of the words to a song entitled "Trust His Heart": written by Babbie Mason. "God is too wise to be mistaken and too good to be unkind". This is an old song and I am not sure I could sing this with full confidence, but perhaps the song I could sing now is a new song entitled "A Broken Hallelujah" by Mandisa. On a lighter note, what I mean is I could listen to these songs for I am not a singer.

I do believe with all my heart that everything,yes everything, happens in our lives for our good and His glory. We were created to worship and glorify Him and He orchestrates our lives to do those very things. (See Rev. 4:11) Unfortunately sometimes this is not pretty according to our standards.

   I started this blog at the insistence of Penny. She ensured me that there were a lot of people out
there that needed encouragement and indeed there are. That also includes me. To put it in Penny;s words: "I am not a puddle on the floor." I love having my daughter and her precious kiddos move in with us, even though they do not have the space that they were accustomed to. I have returned to my
job as assistant VP at a local bank. I continue to teach a ladies Sunday School class. As they say:
   ...............life goes on.............

The best comment that I have read during these days is from an old evangelist that we all know and love. Billy Graham says in his book Till Armageddon "The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot sustain you." We are living every moment in His grace and with the loving help of the greatest church in the world. Their love and financial help is absolutely amazing. People have given sacrificially to my daughters' family in a way that can be nothing but God's amazing grace. I am so grateful to them. As I have seen their outpouring of love and care I have become acutely aware of how short I have come in times past to really reach out to the grieving. I will amend my ways.

   This grandmother wants to pass this test with: "Well done my good and faithful servant enter into my rest". I have often said: "The life we live today is the life that we will be remembered by". I am quite sure now that I uttered those words in easier times.

Thank you for reading and letting me share my hurting heart. Any words of encouragement and prayers will be appreciated from any out there who have walked the road we are walking.

HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT

2010-12-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

   "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift." II Cor. 9:15

   I received my first Christmas present today as my husband and I attended my younger brother's Christmas Cantada at Southside Baptist Church Henderson, Tx. His wife and son were there as well as my older brother and his wife. So it was a family affair and we filled almost a whole pew. The music was great and the presentation of Jesus as the HOPE, PEACE, and JOY of the world was in itself a special gift. But as I sat there and listened it dawned on me that this was the first time all 3 of us Rogers kids had been in church together at Christmas time since our parents died---or maybe even since before we all became adults and left home.

   It brought tears of joy to my eyes because both of my brothers are prodigals of a sort---come back home to their roots of faith. Lanita's Legacy author couldn't be more blessed and it truly is an unspeakable gift that I want to shout to the roof tops. This gift will only be topped by the celebration of the Christ Child Himself born to be our Savior.. What gift have you or will you receive this season that is unspeakable; yet given to be shared with anyone who will listen??

Love in Him,

45 and Counting:TO GOD BE THE GLORY

2010-11-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

Well, friends and family our 45th milestone will shortly be history and we will be working on 46
First I must thank my wonderful husband for making all this possible. "Dear, I love you
more than you know and I thank god everyday for you staying with me through all of those vows and many more."
Second, I want to thank my 2 wonderful daughters for making all our effort to stay together 45 years worth it all. Penny, you could not have purchased for any amount of money a gift that is as priceless as your "Veterans of Marriage Tribute". Thank you.

And finally, but most importantly I must Thank the Lord for all His blessings, forgiveness, patience, grace, and love so wonderful. Andrea Crouch wrote a song years ago that says it so well. Hope you can apply to your life this anthem of gratitude to our Sovereign God.

Love in Him,

GOD SIGHTINGS

2010-11-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

I came across an advertisement the other day for the One Year Bibles' new "GOD SIGHTINGS" reading plan. From the best that I can understand it is the One Year Bible with a group study approach. I am a firm believer in the One Year Bible reading plan, but I have not explored their new offering. However the title caught my eye and my heart.

Of course we "see" God when we read His Word and when we listen to a sermon or a Christian song, but how many other ways do we "see" God? One of my most recent God Sightings was in my own den last night. I had gotten up to get a drink of water and I always leave a light on in the kitchen, but as I rounded the corner into the den to get to the kitchen it seemed unusually dark; and besides that we have a sunken den (yes, it's a 70's-something old house--retro-ya know)..Anyway I felt a little off balance so I thought:" turn on a light you old grandmother"! So, I reached over and flipped the switch on the dimmest ceiling light just over the fireplace. What a difference that made. I felt steady again and confident that I could make it without stumbling on into the kitchen. Now, what's that got to do with sighting God? Well, it was very plain to me from the Holy Spirit. He said loud and clear:" Lanita, it only takes a little light in a very dark place to make a huge difference and He wasn't talking about in my den either!

Readers, that was a GOD SIGHTING!

Jesus said to His disciples: "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your father who is in heaven." Matt.5:14-16 (NASB)

Reminds me of a song I learned when I was in "Primary" Sunday School sitting in the little white wooden chairs (Another way retro thing)! Hope this video brings back some memories for some of you and don't forget to shine..

Love in Him,

I SAW THE LORD

2010-10-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

From the Hubble Space Craft

My last post was on my Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord is my provider. Little did I know then how He would provide in an area where I feel most comfortable and prepared to do a good job--my Sunday School lesson.

Although I have a full time job outside the home, I spend most of my waking hours at home preparing for those 45 minutes on Sunday morning. One because I love it; and two because I must if I do not want to embarrass myself and my Lord. This week was no different.

Part of the lesson text was Isaiah 6:1-5. Isaiah's glorious vision of the Lord and his calling. I had a good lesson put together, all written in my spiral just like I always do. I even had as my "poem" (you know that 3 points & a poem thing) an old song from Dallas Holm "I Saw The Lord" downloaded on my laptop with the words printed for the ladies to follow along.

Good, right??

Well, the Lord had other plans for me and my lesson. I started to set up my podium and guess what? No spiral!!! That's right not one note only my Bible and the teachers book. Now you must understand that the way I teach is that I write out in longhand almost every word that I'm going to say. So as my heart is racing frantically... the Spirit says: "Stay calm, you can remember your points, you went over them well and I will help you." Ok, what choice did I have?? We got through that and I thought no problem, the ending is very impactful and if I worshipped so completely when I listened to this old song, they will too, right?
WRONG!!
I could not connect to the church's internet and nothing come out of my computer when I clicked on my Itunes link. So once again, the Spirit says: "It's OK , you sing it and let them join you. So we did..

Funny thing, after they had left and I'm packing up my computer, I do not know what key I hit but it blares "I Saw The Lord" in my face so loud I had to shut it down. Well, I just laughed. Then I sat there in that room alone and realized:

I HAD SEEN THE LORD!!!

He's there everyone!!!
Sometimes He is just waiting for us to forget all our props and depend on Him. Have you seen Him lately? I would be interested in knowing where and how??

Love in Him,

JEHOVAH-JIREH

2010-09-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

The lesson I am teaching on Sunday is about God's Involvement in Our Lives today. In the course of studying Deuteronomy 8:2-5 where we clearly see that God guided and provided for the Israelites in their wilderness for 40 years.

I was reminded of the study of The Names of God and Jehovah-Jireh. The first mention of this name of God is in Genesis 22 where Abraham is commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. This is also the chapter where the first mention of the word "love" occurs (Gen. 22:2) What I was reminded of was that the Hebrew word jireh means "to see". So how does "to see" become "provide". It's all in understanding the meaning of the words.

Provide comes from (in a round-about way) the Latin word video which means prevision. Now we're getting there. Provision means to see beforehand. So here it is:

As Jehovah-Jireh, what God has Prevision of- He makes Provision for. Isn't that cool? So basically what this means is:

For God to See is for God to provide!!

Now, here's the down to earth, nitty-gritty truth though. I'm looking for some big-time provision of my Jehovah-Jireh. Do I see it? NO! I have seen God's provision many times in the past, but today it's just not there. I know He sees because I believe He is omniscient. He knows everything. So before I despair or think that my God has failed me; I must remember that He is providing! That provision just doesn't look like I thought it would; or not enough time has elapsed to be in His Time.

And of course we must always remember that His provision is always geared to His glory and our growth.

In the mean time;
   we must do what Abraham did.
   We must do exactly the next step God directs us to do; not jumping
   ahead or lagging behind.

OBEDIENCE IS THE KEY TO PROVISION. I question myself. Are you being OBEDIENT to the heavenly vision, Lanita?? How about you today? Do you too need some Big-God Provision? Go to Mt Moriah to see your Jehovah-Jireh--The-Lord-Will-Provide!!

Love in Him,

Christ Our Provision

HIS GIRL FRIDAY

2010-09-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Well, blog friends, this is my last day of a wonderful vacation. I have almost done all I had planned. So since it's Friday and everyone seems to have something special on Friday I'm gonna post a little note which in itself is special for me because I'm usually doing my hardest day of the week. When I'm at work on Friday; I dream about all the things I would do if I were at home:

Sleep late..I did not do that.
Study for my Sunday School lesson...I am doing that...
Blog.. I am doing that...
Really clean my house.. maybe...(I've decided to xxx that)
Work in the yard....maybe..
Go shopping...yes, I must buy groceries, but that doesn't count as shopping, does it??

So what's the point of all this rambling?? Just that sometimes the things we daydream about to take us away from reality are not really that great and exciting when we actually get to do it.

So enjoy everyday wherever you are. If it's at home with a dirty house and whining preschoolers that won't poop or at the bank with employees, bosses, customers that won't make your day a dream world..enjoy anyway.

"This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Oh Lord, help me to say that with the same quiet conviction on Monday morning as I do now with my blog friends. I want to be Your Girl Friday...

By the way have any of you out there seen this old 1940 movie..His Girl Friday with Cary Grant?? Let me know---I have not and I'm probably the oldest of you...

Love in Him,

Forty Do-Over

2010-09-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Penny

Today my oldest is forty!! Yikes! I've been telling everyone that I am much too young to have a child who is 40. I have tried to go back this week and remember when I was 40. Not a pleasant time of remembering. When I was 40 I was doing the far country scene and I do not remember if it was mid-life crisis or just out & out rebellion, but I do not want to have a 40 do-over. I am praying that my daughter will not go down that road; and because she is a lot more firmly grounded in God's Word than I was then; I am sure that she will not. So what words of wisdom do I have about being a 60-something parent of a 40 year old? The same words of wisdom I would have if I were 50 or 80... and you know it comes from God's Word:

Deut.6:7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

The Word is the way to years of no regret living. So if you are 20-something and have children give them the word. If you are 60-something give them the word. If you are 40-something give your children the word or if you're 90-something give them the word.
IT IS OUR LIFE!!

Love in Him,

DIRT FOR WEEDS

2010-09-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

Now I know 2 posts in the same day is going to blow my daughter Penny from Living Above-Away, but I was reading Charles Spurgeon last night and he says in one of his Farm Sermons that we should go out into nature more often because that's where God put the first man and that being so He will connect with us there in so many different ways. And also after reading "Lessons from Gumbo" also from Living Above (Can you tell that I like Living Above)?? I decided to mow my yard this morning. I had used the weed eater but missed a tall blade of grass at the edge of the drive-way. So I just bent down to pull it up the old fashioned way; you know hands & knees.

And then came the lesson.

It takes very little dirt for a weed to grow & flourish. Do you know that blade of grass that was causing such an unsightly view of my otherwise perfectly mown yard was in hardly no soil, just a little dirt and lodged between 2 rocks..Unbelievable!! However, if you want a plant to grow, especially one that will give you food, it takes good soil, fertilizer, water and lots of tending. So if you only want weeds in your spiritual life it doesn't take much. Any old dirt or rock will do, no special food, and no tending. Just do nothing and there you will have the best crop of weeds Satan can give you. BUT if you want a flourishing crop of spiritual food you must first Know the Gardner and then sow your seed in His Word and just watch a crop of bountiful things grow, but not without tending everyday.

Jesus has an excellent parable about this in Mark 4:1-9 . I won't go into it, but the words I will share with you from this story are: no depth and withered away. Not words I want to be associated with!!

Remember it only takes a little doing nothing for a weed to flourish. Pull them out everyday .. " All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing".. (Jim Elliott--I forget??? ) I know some of you out there will know who that was by..

Share with us: How does your garden grow??

ANCIENT BOUNDARY LINES

2010-09-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

God's Word is always relevant, but this morning as I ready Proverbs 22:28 which says:

"do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set"

my legacy theme just jumped out at me. When we neglect our extended family ties this is basically what we are doing. For years I have been "away" not estranged, but just unconnected with my 2 brothers and their families; and I only live one hour away from them. But this year has been the year of reconnecting with them and it has been such a blessing.

Blog friends do not remove the ancient landmark which was set by your fathers. No matter what... and I do realize there are a lot of "whats" out there to hinder this, but do all you can as often as you can to keep in touch with those that your fathers & mothers established for you. There is a reason why God set you in that family and it was not just so you would have a sibling when you were young. Our family ties mold us & are a tool for God to use in our lives. Keep the home fires burning.

REAL LIFE

2010-09-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes what we want to do and what we do, gets covered up by "real life". I have been away for a few weeks now and I miss my connection in this "world". However, there is a reason. My work has been very hectic and my heart has been really heavy for a co-worker whose daughter is in a life threatening health situation. She has recently had a baby and she now has MRSA. It is still touch & go. So all of my extra energy has been given to prayer and support for this one in my life. It is especially near to my heart because this young woman is my youngest daughters age (35). To think that my Glenda or Penny could be in a situation like this just overwhelms me at times. But then I remember our great God, Jehovah- Rapha, our Healer. I go to Him and find the comfort and energy I need to not only fill in for her mother at work, but stay the course in prayer. So to all of Lanita'sLegacy followers please be patient. I will return and after all, that's what legacys are made of --REAL LIFE....you have my heart...

THEN IT HAPPENED

2010-08-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

These are the first 3 words from II Samuel 11:2 (NKJV). As I have been preparing this week for my
Sunday School lesson on David and Bathsheba these words caught my heart and I've had a hard time getting past them.

So I want to share them with you all and maybe then I can move on the the real lesson.
However, these words are probably the "real" lesson for me individually. When something
jumps out at you... it's usually what the Lord wants you to see.

This phrase is used 3 times in some form in the 11th chapter of II Samuel
so that's a good indication that it is important.

In David's case he had just come home from many successful battles and life was good.
The only problem he was not where he was supposed to be. You see the springtime was when kings went to war and David chose to stay home.
   THEN IT HAPPENED!!
Things are great, all is well. It's all good. Life can't get any better.
   THEN IT HAPPENED!!
If you know the story, you know that "IT" was David's gross sin with Bathsheba that
ultimately led to the breaking of 4 of the 10 commandments and this by the greatest king
Israel ever had... and "a man after God's own heart".

   But this is not the way THEN IT HAPPENED always is. It could be that life is
as bad as we think it could possibly get. Kids are driving us crazy to the point that we might
be even considering our sanity in even wanting them in the first place;
or maybe you 're wondering whether the house note will be paid this month,
or if it's really going to be beans & rice forever; or maybe your health is failing
or your marriage seems to be over. Hang on THEN IT HAPPENED could be just around
the next dawn.

Something happened to change everything. This is the way it was with David. His willful sin changed everything forever. Forgiven yes, praise God yes, but the consequences lasted the rest of his life.

But God also changes our bad times too--just because He can & because He wills. Have you ever had that experience? You thought that life would never be any better and
   THEN IT HAPPENED???
Night was turned into glorious day and everything changes? It might be that all that changes is
your attitude or perspective, but nevertheless life is abundant instead of redundantly unbarable.

I'd like to hear your THEN IT HAPPENED whether good or bad.
Because you see I happen to believe that we've all got some good & bad
   THEN IT HAPPENED-S
We must encourage each other and sharing our life experiences will do just that.

GOOD INTENTIONS OR GOD'S INTENTIONS

2010-08-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

Just a short note tonight about our good intentions that might be:

   Noble-----Logical------Uplifting----God Honoring---

But not God's Intentions or Purpose for our Life

In II Samuel 7 David wanted to build a Temple for God so he tells Nathan the prophet what he wants to do.  Nathan says: "Sure go for it because I know God is with you"

The only problem is neither one had asked God about this God Honoring Project.

God makes it be known this is not for David to do, but his son Solomon. So David
had to give up this dream. For you see David's dream was too small. God had somthing much BIGGER and more important as His purpose for David's life.
   God was going to build David a house (a dynasty)

In II Samuel 7 we find the Davidic Covenant... Which basically is God promising that there
will always be a decendant of David on the throne - FOREVER.
   This is the "House" or lineage our Savior came from. Now David had the means. He could have said: "No, I'm gonna do this thing because in my eyes it's the right thing to do...And besides I need to build my legacy at this point"..(This is what a lot of our nation's leaders are doing instead of helping the country...oops, my politics are showing) He would have missed the great blessing God had for him and for us.

Have you ever had to give up on a dream because you realized that it was not
   GOD'S INTENTION for you to do it?????
How did you respond? Check out how David responded... He sat before the
   Presence of the Lord and asked "Who am I"???

God desires that we be surrendered to his Purpose and not our Plans...Even if we have to
let go of a dream.
   Now I know this is hard, because I've had a few dreams I've had to let go of, but I have found that

Ephesians 3:20 is exactly correct.

"... He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us..."

Oh that we would be surrender our Good Intentions
for God's Intentions.. I would love to hear some of your surrendered dreams and how you
responded.

BIRTHDAY BASH BLESSING

2010-08-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

(Birthday Boy in Yellow)

Today is my oldest brother's birthday. So yesterday I hosted a birthday dinner in his honor.

   He is 60 + 1

And even though the thought to do this didn't "hit" me until Tuesday, all but one of his family members were able to attend. My kids & grandkids of course were not here because of distance & church obligations :( but his were here, and after all it was his party.

As I was cleaning & and cooking for the late afternoon event I thought: "It feels like I'm cooking a Thanksgiving Dinner"----- Little did I know that before the day was over that would be exactly what it was---a Thanksgiving in July- legacy- making- day..

Now I am the oldest of three siblings.....

     I am 60 + 2 (and proud of it)

First I must give credit to my precious sister -in- law for keeping us together after our parents died. Thank you, Sis for teaching me-- I think I've finally got it now... For you see, besides the Lord, your family is the most important thing on this earth. Stay as close & connected as miles will allow & heh--today with so many technological ways to communicate, miles are only a small problem.

   We shared our intimate sorrows & and joys,
   we reminisced about childhood pranks,
   we posthumously thanked our parents for our "raising",
   the guys played washers in the back yard
   the gals played dolls--with the real live 9 mo. old doll (granddaughter) in the cool house
We picked, played, and sang some of the old hymns of the faith.

Yes we did all of those things we used to do years ago before we got so techno-advanced. I guess the only thing that we didn't do of yester-year was sit on the front porch and watch the cars go by and wonder: "where are they going so late in the evening"?... LOL !! What a blessing; but the thanksgiving part came at the end of the evening when my brother said:

"YOU KNOW SIS, IT'S ONLY AFTER IT ALL FELL APART THAT WE ARE FINALLY GETTING IT TOGETHER"

I do not have to go into all of the implications in his life that brought about that statement for some of you to understand exactly what he's talking about. Most of us have been there. But it takes courage to say it out loud, especially to your sister, and more especially to your God.

So if you feel that your life has fallen apart or if you are praying for someone whose life has fallen apart..

   REJOICE AND BE EXCEEDINGLY GLAD...because God has got you, got them where He can put it back together again His Way.... which is the only way it will work..

No Thanksgiving day in November has been more joyous or more blessed than July 31st 2010 at my brothers 61st Birthday Bash. I've only been praying for this day 45 years. So dear ones, whatever you're praying for ---- DON'T QUIT!!!

God has us all in the palm of His hands and

  "He makes all things beautiful in His time." Ecc. 3:11

HURRICANES

2010-07-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well, Bonnie is making noise so I thought I would speak to you about hurricanes for a moment. Through them I have learned that

Perspective is Positively Paramount!!

I live in deep East Texas so I did not think I would ever know that much about this part of God's weather.
Hurricane IKE

literally threw a tree into my bederoom and

Hurricane RITA

was not that nice either.

It took us 9 months to recover from IKE and the only good we got out of RITA was after my daughter & two children fled Houston to my house and suffered through the worst hurricane they had ever experienced; we had a few- tree- falling- days bonding with them.

So my only history before these is that we would watch the track of a hurricane on TV and if it was tracking toward Florida or New Orleans we would sigh a sigh of relief and feel safe.

   BUT I DO NOT FEEL THAT WAY ANYMORE!

Why, you ask? Perspective, remember? That same daughter and her precious ministry family have moved.... You guessed it!! :)

!!! NEW ORLEANS!!!

So no longer do we look to see if it's tracking to East Tx, but to New Orleans. So, what's your point you ask?    Just this. Whether your hurricane is a physical weather event or just the storms of L-I-F-E

sickness,
   job loss
   financial woes,
   relationship wrecks,
   depression,
   your weight, whatever---

Put them all in the right Perspective. IKE has passed and I got a beautiful library out of that wrecked room, RITA has passed and a dangerous tree that I had wanted removed is gone. BONNIE will pass too. So will all the other "hurricanes" of our lives, but if we don't keep the right perspective we will miss the blessing from these sorrows.

There is also another life lesson. Don't think just because you & yours are safe that there are not people in a pending storm. God's Word tells us in Philippians 2:4: "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.". Pray for one another..Encourage one another. We have no idea what is lurking out in the sea of this world gone crazy, but we can all help one another if we keep the right perspective.

The first time we went to New Orleans to see our daughter one of the first things she showed me was her hurricane preparedness box. You know water, batteries canned goods, etc. Well, LIFE hurricane riders know to have a hurricane preparedness box too. This is what it must contain:

At least one Bible,
   several prayer warriors,
   at least one trust applicator,
   and oh yeah,

ONE VERY BIG GOD!!

(however my God will not fit in a Box)

Love all ya'll in the eye of the storm where ever you are and whatever it's name is.

Power of Prayer

2010-07-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Just want to remind all of you out there that there is :

POWER

          in
         PRAYER

My Sunday School lesson was on this very subject and it was taken from I Samuel 22-23. Awesome words on how David prayed and God answered! Period! Done Deal! Not always what he wanted to hear; but clear, specific, and no doubts it was from the LORD God.

Yea, yea, Grandmother we know this.   But don't forget to do it!   I knew I was going to have a rough week at work last week, so I rallied a prayer group to pray. I asked my Sunday School class of 8-10 ladies ( all over 65) and my 2 daughters.

   Well, sure enough it was as rough as we anticipated; but around Wednesday everybody, even me, said: "Why is everything going so much smoother than we thought?" I just grinned :)

   Because well... I didn't want to speak too soon and embarrass the Lord. LOL! Silly me. The Lord can take care of Himself thank you very much. You guessed it. The rest of the week was great as well and I eventually told all my co-workers my battle strategy for the week.

My point: DON'T FORGET TO PRAY. I know some of you think, yea, I've tried that before and there's a cold silent wall.. Don't quit!! You might not understand now, but God hears. Some days it's like it was in I Samuel 22-23. You ask-- He answers. Many ask: Why pray??

Because my sweet sisters it works, He commanded us to and there is :

POWER
   in
   PRAYER

SEND THE LIGHT

2010-07-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

We had a commissioning service tonight at church for several groups, young & old that are going on mission trips this summer.

The countries are Eucador Japan, China, and Egypt.

A small church from a small town in Texas sending out that many to spread the gospel!! Wow!! The ages ranged from 16-58. Some have been on mission before, but for some, it is the first time.

One person in particular that is the reason for my post is Carla. I first met Carla when she was in the 7th grade and I was her Sunday School teacher. She has had some rough roads in her life one of which was that her mother was murdered when Carla was just a teenager. She grew up,married and has grown children now. She plays the keyboard in our church orchestra and has been very faithful. Now tonight to see her giving her vacation to go on a mission trip just really inspires me.

It is also very encouraging that as you get older you do not just quit.

This is a very brave endeavor for a 50 something.

The other thing that inspires me is that I have lived long enough to see those children that I have taught and watched grow up continue to give their lives for the eternal. Now I know that she is not going to Egypt because of anything that I did in her life; but to have the blessing of getting to see this is just more than this grandmother can believe the Lord would let me do!!

How great is our God!! I ask you to pray with me for these and all of those around the world that are giving of themselves to spread the gospel.

This reminds me of one of my favorite verses :

Deut.6:7 "You shall teach them(God's Word) diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up."

That just about covers it. We are to teach the next generation God's ways or guess what?? There will not be a next generation of God followers.

Let us be busy about that so that there will always be a Godly legacy..

Legacy Lines from One Year Bible

2010-07-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, with a blog entitled Lanita'sLegacy I cannot let my readings in the OneYearBible this week pass by without a "legacy" comment. II Kings 18-22 are so rich in legacy-leaving-lines. II Kings 18:19-20: "This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident?" This was asked by a pagan king to king Hezekiah. What are we truly trusting in? Is it really the Lord our God or--or-- what we can "finagle" (good East Tx word) or orchestrate on our own?? I fear we better get that settled because there are some trying days ahead. But the verse I really want to hone in on is II Kings 20:6. Hezekiah has become deathly ill, like just being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Hezekiah prays for God to heal him & then sends Isaiah to tell him: I heard your prayer & and have seen your tears." (oh, wow, that right there will preach & that's not even my point)!!! God, through Isaiah says in v.6: (I will add 15 years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. ..) Now whether you are young, old, or in between; ill or healthy as a horse (another good East Tx term) ; what would you do with a guaranteed extra 15 years to your life?? If you read the "rest of the story" (loved that Paul Harvey) which is found in II Kings 6:7-21, Hezekiah did not do so well with his allotment.. check out v.19 "Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "This message you have given me from the LORD is good." But the king was thinking, "At least there will be peace & security during my lifetime." Here God had told the king through Isaiah about the Jews being carried into exile..but his comment reflects only thoughts about himself.. Are we concerned only that there is peace & security for us & ours?? Oh, how God wants us to be concerned about what we are doing with our years that will make a difference for eternity. My response to this message to me from the Holy Spirit in my usual Daily Bible Reading is: "Woe is me for I am undone"! (Isaiah 6:3) God help us all.!! But...take heart!! Today is the day the Lord has made, we still have opportunities to leave a legacy. Make some memories today that will make a difference forever.

Evaluation Grandmother Camp 2010

2010-06-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

What an awesome God we serve. I just wish I was smart enough to know how to post our little program on the web. It was fantastic. When Papa gets his pictures from the camera to the computer I will post some pics. I think I can do that. The kids did not disappoint me. All of them are such "hams". Why should I have worried? A big thank-you to my awesome daughters and sons for allowing us to influence their children's little lives for a whole week. It is amazing what you can teach children through song and art. My only worry is how will we top what God did this year?? Oh, yea, He will be here next year too!! I learned or re-learned that you do forget pain. About Wed. I thought " I just don't know if I can continue to do this". But we made it through and then when they showed off so well what they had learned I knew it had to go on. I will be putting all of you grandparents out there who are raising their grandchildren for whatever reason on my uppermost prayer list. (For real- many of you are in my church). Hats off and praise to these wonderful people. We did something different this year that I hope will become a tradition. Aunt Sharon and Uncle Sammy hosted us for a family picnic and reunion at their farm in Laneville. It was absolutely wonderful. HEH! Aunt Sharon I know what.. you can have your own grandmother camp the same week that we do and then we can come together on Saturday for one big grand finale.. That is what God is doing with us here. He is training us by growing us in families to live with Him in heaven forever. Sure, there are sorrows along the way. We have all had them, but we are not going to waste our sorrows, but instead learn from them . I truly believe that those who have had the most sorrows and learned the most from them are going to be way up there in heaven!! I will be honored to know you. I learned that I am not suppose to C-O-V-E-T, but I do ask for your prayers as I come down from this heavenly place and back to work at the bank on Monday. I know that God has had me there for all these years for something and I cannot slack off now. In this too I must persevere until my days are done there so that I will be well pleasing in His sight whether I'm teaching my grandchildren the Ten Commandments or helping struggling souls with their filthy lucre (Bible-speak for money). Leave a legacy--make memories everyday..

Grandmother & Papa Camp 2010-Midweek Progress

2010-06-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

Well, this post will be brief, but I just wanted to pass along 2 valuable lessons this ole Grandmother has learned or maybe re-learned. It is amazing what you can teach young clean, uncluttered minds. That is why Jesus said: "Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not". It is Wednesday and they know all of the Ten Commandments and most of them in order. I can yell out Commandment number 3 :: And they can say: "Do not take the Lord's name in vain" or Honor God's name. The second thing I have seen over and over is that it is the simple things that they learn the most from; unstructured play or as they say "free play"gives such opportunity for sharing and being kind and working out their own problems. It is hard to just get out of the way and let them, but it really works. I call them my "city mice" and they do not get much of this kind of time. I know it is a different world that this generation of mothers and daddies are raising children in, but please for their sake let them think they are doing a few things on their own. We never leave them unsupervised because you just can't do that today, but we do try to stay back a little and let them grow.. Well, we just fall into bed each night with precious little time to rest up for tomorrow, but we can see the end. Tomorrow will be our last full day of God's Top Ten. We must put together our "closing ceremonies" program. Yes, it's gonna be so cute if they will cooperate and grandmother & papa will truly shine. Yes, just a little pride oozing out there. I'm sure God will remind Who is to get the glory. Yes, it's Him and Him alone who deserves all the praise... Friday is the big day that they have all been waiting for. Not the Ten Commandments, not staying up late, not eating anything anytime they want, not the zoo, or even swimming at Bro Wayne's & Ms Donna's pool. But are you ready for the best thing they are going to get to do. Go to the movies & see Toy Story 3!!!. Yep, I told you they were city mice. But praise the Lord how I love them. Even if they love Woody & Buz Lightyear more than Thou shall not covet!!. I will give the grand finale a little later next week. I do have another week of vacation to rest up.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!

2010-06-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

Grandmother & Papa Camp 2010 doesn't officially begin until Monday June 14th... but we get the first installment of campers tomorrow night and the other 2 Saturday morning. All of you bloggers out there please pray for traveling safety as we do the grandkid shuffle. Then of course pray for us as we attempt to have one glorious week learning God's Top Ten aka the Ten Commandments. But most of all pray that we will build memories that age & time will not erase. Stay tuned!! If time and stamina will allow I will be sharing as the week progresses!!

When Leaders Fail

2010-06-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Today I want to talk to you a little about the lesson I had to teach on Sunday. It was taken from I Samuel 2-3. This is the story of the priest Eli and his 2 wicked sons and the boy Samuel that delivers God's message of judgment on them. The moral of this story is: Parents correct your children when they are young or God just might have to take you and them out!! Not a pleasant lesson indeed. We look around today and see many leaders that are failing. Financial, political, and yes, even religious leaders are failing God and this nation. But do you realize that you too are leading somebody!!. None of us are exempt from that role. Moms those children are watching and listening. Dads those children and wife are watching and listening. God gave Eli many chances to do the hard thing and discipline his boys, but he turned a blind eye and a deaf ear. God finally had to raise up a young boy to deliver a message of judgment to this servant of God. The verse that was so convicting to me was I Samuel 2:23: "Why do you do such things"? Now this was a question that Eli asked his boys. We have all asked our children this question. You know the answer we always get is : "I don't know"! Well, the Holy Spirit asked me this week: Has God ever asked you this question? He has!! Why do you do some of the things that you know is not on my approval list? Why do you procrastinate in doing those hard things that you do not want to do? Why Lanita, do you do such things? You can fill in the blank for your life. But just as the case with Eli and his sons, it is not sufficient to just ask the question. You must determine to DO those things that are pleasing to Him and will make a difference in your family's life. We must be the leaders that God has called us to be. The risk is too great and the consequences too severe to not do those things that make a difference now and for all eternity. We do not want to be leaders that fail. It was Israel's downfall and I fear America's too. But it all starts in the home with the family. Next week is : When Religion Fails. Can't wait to see how God is going to direct my thoughts in that area. Be the leader God wants you to be and your legacy will last.

Memorial Day & Grandmother & Papa Camp

2010-05-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

Our Pastor encouraged us on Sunday to be sure and remember those who gave their lives for our country along with whatever else we were going to do on this Memorial Day holiday. As I was going through some old pictures and other stuff in my "craft room", I came across some old pictures of "Papa Glen" as he was serving our country. I stopped and prayed a prayer of gratitude not only for his service, but for the fact that he was sitting downstairs in his recliner and that I was not in some cemetery placing flowers on his grave. Many wives did that today. Help us all that are free, to remember why. On a lighter note: I did make great headway in getting ready for the yearly event known as Grandmother Camp. I put together the music and the main craft. So, heh, bring'em on...Then I stopped to check the ole blog and saw that my family and friends are supporting me as usual. Thank you. Now I will ask you to pray that Papa & I will have the stamina to make the week. Especially Papa, because you see the week before camp he has Vacation Bible School with a room full of 3&4 year olds at church.. Wow!! What a guy... Our 4 "grands" will come with all parts fully engaged and their will be precious little down time. Let the games begin. I can't wait. Praise the Lord I will have another week of vacation left to rest up before going back to work. Whew!!

Grandmother & Papa Camp 2010

2010-05-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

One of the best things that we are doing to lengthen our legacy is Grandmother Camp. We started this four years ago and it is a time when all 4 grandchildren come to Grandmother & Papa's for a week of fun and learning about God and His Kingdom. I took the idea from a great Christian minister Esther Burroughs. We always have a camp theme so that we have a learning base during the week. Year one was "Down by the Creekbank" and we learned about God's world through the old Dottie Rambo kids musical of the same name. Year two was I-Hymns and they all got I-Pods and we learned old classic Baptist Hymns; you know the ones we hardly ever sing anymore. Year three was "Facebooks" and we learned the books of the Bible through the faces of the men who wrote them. This fourth year is "God's Top Ten" and we are going to learn the Ten Commandments. Because regardless of what is or is not politically correct, they are still God's Law and very relevant for all ages today. It is a very intense week for the grandparents because we are 60-something and the youngest grandchild is 3, but it is such a blessing to watch these 4 children who rarely get to see each other come together right where they left off and have a wonderful time together. I pray that we will have the bodily stamina to continue this tradition as long as they will come. I do realize that the time will come when they will not want to come, but hopefully that is a few years away. So young mothers encourage your children's grandparents to start a time of baby sitting made meaningful by throwing in a little Bible learning. Even if they do go to their church's Vacation Bible School, that's is still precious little time in God's Word . One more week would certainly be great. It is not all Bible stuff though. We go to the zoo, we go to friends gardens and pick peas, we go to the movies and we play games and crafts. Oh, the crafts are the best. My oldest daughter Penny asked 6-year old Jordan what her favorite time at grandmother Camp was and she said. "Craft-time in Grandmother's craft room". I have a large room upstairs that used to be a sewing room and now it has become the craft room. We have a 4x8 table to work on and plenty of space to do just about whatever. Penny then asked Jordan why that was her favorite time and she said: "Because that's where we learn about Jesus." Well, friends that's why we do it. That will take me at least 5 or 6 more years!! Make memories today with your children and then one day they will make memories for your grandchildren.
I close out this post with the verse of Scripture that is my Biblical guide for this special week of our lives.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7: "Hear, Oh Israel! The Lord is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all you soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!

The Legend Behind Lanita's Legacy

2010-05-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

It is really a short story, not a legend. My daughter Penny Franklin-Living Above Ministries-seems to think that I have something to offer women out there in blog land. And I do have a heart for young women who seem to think they are not going to make it for one reason or another. I also have a burdened heart for the Christian family who I fear will not make it without a return to the Word of God and a lot of encouragement from those of us with grey hair and sagging chins. Those of us who have been through many waters and more that a few fires. When my mother went to be with the Lord at age 62 (my age now) I realized that I was in process of my legacy for my girls (now women). I am a Sunday School teacher of women older than I am. I love to read and have built quite a library over the years and I thought that was my legacy. But I am beginning to realize that those books are just the material side. The real legacy is all that God's Holy Spirit has taught me and stored inside this often fragile heart of mine. That is what wants to reach out and let you see that even a Much-Afraid pilgrim can make it to the high places with Him as our guide. We all just need a little grace and glory as we experience sorrow and suffering in this training ground below. Whatever legacy we want to leave behind, we must remember we're making it now. I want mine to be loving and learning our Lord. Join me on this journey .