Diane Mickler's Blog

The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. Psalm 84:11

You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. C.S. Lewis

It’s amazing how many times we hear people say, “If I knew then what I know now, things would be different. I would have done a lot of things differently, and things would have turned out better.” Sometimes we wish we could live life backwards!

Years ago when we were serving a county seat church, Randy felt that he had done all he could do there and that it was time to move on. He met with the bishop and they talked. At the end of the conversation, Bishop Fitzgerald asked him one question, “Do you trust me to do the right thing for you?” The answer was “Yes”. Randy came home and recounted the conversation, and said, “Now, what the heck does that mean?” We stayed another year and the church was recognized as church of the year for the North Georgia Conference. The next year, Randy was sent to Mt. Bethel, and we realized exactly what the Bishop meant – the rest is history. If we had been in control, things would have certainly been different.

Ruth Graham said that if God hadn’t been in control of her life, she would have married the wrong man several times. If she could live life backwards, she obviously wouldn’t.

That’s exactly how God deals with every child of His when we turn things over and sacrifice our will to His. We leave a growing area of ministry at His command, then He provides one better than we had ever dreamed. We surrender all our cherished hopes and die to self, then He sends overwhelming joy and life more abundant than we ever imagined.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about changing the history of our country and our people. People want to remember life differently than history records. What part of history should we change? Would that make us a better nation today? I wonder what the brave men and women who fought and died in the World Wars would think of eradicating their sacrifice? How would veterans who died in unpopular wars view the change? Would they want to live life backwards so they could change a decision they made?

Would we want to live knowing that all the joy, sorrow or pain that has been a part of our lives might be lost forever? Which event would we choose to eliminate in order to make our lives better? Instead of changing history, shouldn’t we learn from it?

When most of us look back over our lives and ask ourselves, “What would I do differently if I could live life backwards?”, the answer is obvious. Each decision or path we made or took leads to us being who we are as a person, a community, a nation, and a people. For most of us, the answer is that God has directed our paths, so we would change nothing.

Our job now is to look back over mistakes, bad decisions, lack of compassion and love, selfish ways, and anything that holds us back from achieving the life God has planned for us. The reality is we can’t live life backwards, so let’s make the most of the life that is in front of us.

A book is best enjoyed from beginning to end, but best understood from the end to the beginning. copied

Where He leads me I will follow, where He leads me I will follow; where he leads me I will follow, I’ll go with Him, with Him, all the way. E. W. Blandly

Start children off on the way they should go and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Our Daddy had many nicknames and just as many personalities that fit them! He was John Jr. to some, Bubba (a good southern name to the family), Captain (because he always drove the boat and ran a farm), Flash (because he never could get past snow plowing on the slopes), Running Bear (because he always baited duck ponds and dove fields, but never got caught when he ran from the game wardens even though they knew exactly who he was), Mr. John (because our friends held him in high regard or were scared of him, don’t know which), Honey (to my mother), Daddy (to his three girls), PaPa (to his grandchildren), and Big John (to his sons in law who to this day hold that name reverent). Most people in town just called him “a character”.

Daddy grew up in Donalsonville with his mother, father, sister and two younger brothers. As the eldest son, a lot of the responsibility of the family farm and business fell to him. Although farming was his main job, later in life, he got into real estate when Lake Seminole was created, and he sold land around the lake. He loved the land and was always quick to say, “There’s one thing God won’t make any more of and that’s land.”

During the week, he was up early and out driving the 18 miles each day to the farm outside of town. This is not to say he was working all this time. He followed a strict schedule which usually included a stop by Johnson’s store where he visited with the locals, another stop by Harvey’s to chat with his manager about the day, and usually a stop by his Mama and Daddy’s house to chat late in the afternoon. He visited his brother, Wallace, at People’s Supply and his brother in law, Hudson, at Firestone at least one day a week, along with his brother Bill at the Egg Plant. Conversation, family and people were important to him. My mother always said “Your Daddy could talk to a post.”

No matter where he went, he usually had three things with him; his hat, his gun and his pocket knife. Except for church and in the house, he always wore a hat. He removed it when he entered a house and replaced it on his head when he left! He carried a pocket knife to open letters, bills, and for incidentals. He carried a gun because you never know when the opportunity to hunt might arise in South Georgia.

Daddy drove fast, knew everybody in town, had a temper, had a great sense of humor, washed his car about the time he expected us home from a date, and was present when the Alday murderers were captured. He smoked cigarettes until one night when all the stores were closed, and he couldn’t buy any. That made him mad, so he quit smoking and began to eat peppermint candy instead. Until the day he died, you could always find peppermints in his front seat.

As a farmer, he lived and died by the weather and there were many times when he watched crops literally burn up in the field. He and our family dealt with a lot of stress which still plaques our farmers these days.

Every weekend in the spring and summer, would find us on the lake skiing with Daddy driving the boat. Many times he would drop us in the middle of the lake while he went to talk to someone he knew on shore. His parting words were, “Hold your ski up, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Daddy was in church on his pew every Sunday morning, and we sat in the same section with his Daddy, brothers, and sister and their respective families. Church was a family affair and everyone knew if you weren’t there. My Mama sat in the choir and her family attended the Baptist church as they were outnumbered by Drakes at the Methodist.

He loved his family fiercely, and he would do anything to protect them. He was tough, but tender hearted, and the day I married Randy as he walked me down the aisle with tears in his eyes, he was heard to say very loudly, “Sugar, you don’t have to marry this boy! You can live with us forever!” After the vows were taken, and we were pronounced man and wife, Randy kissed the bride three times. My Daddy was heard to say, “Oh hello, we are going to be here all day!”

We miss his humor, his laughter, his antics, but most of all we miss his love and his hugs! As our family celebrates this Father’s Day with all the special Dads in our family, we are grateful for Daddy’s influence in our lives.

Happy Father’s Day to all our Dads!

So in Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:5

John Fawcett was a Baptist minister in the 18th century where he and his wife served a small, very poor congregation. John was presented with the opportunity to move to a very large affluent congregation which he accepted. He and his wife packed their wagon, but as they were saying tearful good byes to their sweet congregation, his wife said, “I cannot bear to leave these people – I love them.” John replied, “I feel the same way, so here we will stay.” He ended up serving that church for fifty four years.

I tell that story because John also wrote one of my favorite hymns, Bless Be The Tie That Binds after the experience with his church. During this sad time of social unrest, it would be such a blessing if that song were sung during protest rallies, church services, and public demonstrations. The words, Bless be the tie that binds, our hearts in Christian love, the fellowship of kindred minds, is like to that above, would be such a comfort.

John Wesley said it best, Though we cannot think alike, can we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt we may. Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these differences. If love is at the base of our differences, we can use it to be the Tie that Binds.

There are many whose attitude may say, if you don’t agree with me politically, you hate America. There might be those who have the attitude, if you have different values or skin color, then you are opponent. Ask the question, “What does God think of that opinion or attitude?”

If you look to the left of you or to the right of you, you have no idea what it’s like to be that person, but you can be sure that each one of them struggles with something. Everyone knows what it’s like to feel hurt, to feel afraid, lost or alone. Collectively we need to do whatever needs to be done to help each other.

The Tie that Binds should begin locally as well as nationally and globally. A group of ladies meeting together asked these questions of me lately: “Do you know how many homeless people live in your area? Do you know where they sleep? Do you know how many children don’t have enough food each day? Do you know how many single parents are struggling to make ends meet and care for their families? Do you know how many elderly are sequestered in nursing homes and at home and hear from no one outside their family? Do you know how hard it is during this time for people suffering from depression or anxiety to cope? Do you know how many people have lost loved ones during this virus and cannot have memorial services for closure?” I shamefully do not know the numbers or the answers to many of these questions. I realized that though I profess Christianity, maybe I don’t show enough concern for people to know what I’m all about.

If we as Christians do our job, then no one should have to wonder what we are about. It should be evident in our words, our actions, our deeds, our caring, our outreach, our inclusion, and our love. My prayer is that we as Christians and Americans can come together in unity, peace and love. God never creates a person that is not of worth!

(The photo is of Randy and Robert after the Mt. Bethel UMC voted to start a Homeless Ministry)

He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay with his saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man’s eyes and said, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam”. The man did, and he saw. John 9:6 from The Message

All I could see from where I stood, was three long mountains and a wood; I turned and looked another way, and saw three islands in a bay. Edna St. Vincent Millay from the poem Renascence

Randy and I were walking the other day around the lake behind the Field of Dreams at the church. We love the beauty of the property and the view it affords. While we were sitting on the bench, two friends walked by and remarked on the beauty of the setting. Then, he said, “You know, I was against the church buying this property, but I had no idea it was this beautiful.” Randy remarked, “I never knew that. Did you ever walk back here to see it?” When he shook his head, no, Randy said, “Aren’t you glad the church saw what you didn’t?” He needed to see it to appreciate it!

Our friend only looked at one aspect of the acquisition of the acres of land, but the committee who bought the land had the vision of what it could become! Now it’s filled with ball fields, children’s laughter and learning, and people around the lake all the time!

People see things in different ways, and that can have its advantages and its disadvantages. If two people tell the same story, it will probably be different. Different people have differing accounts on the Civil War, WWII, government, politics, etc. it depends on who is telling the story and their perception of the event.

I happen to love crime and mystery books and movies, and it seems that in each, the authorities always place their witnesses in different rooms, listen to the account of each, and compare the similarities and discrepancies.

The word anoint means “to pour on and rub in”. Jesus anointed the man in this verse and caused his eyes to become sighted. Then the man could see Jesus as he was, not only, as a prophet, a teacher, a man, but as Lord and Savior.

It makes all the difference when we can see things for ourselves rather than taking another’s word for it. Florence Chadwick, a long distance swimmer, attempted to swim 21 miles across the Catalina Channel and become the first woman to do so. The fog was so think, she couldn’t see land and despite the encouragement from her crew that land was near, after 15 hours and 55 minutes, she gave up and came on board the boat. In an interview later she said, “If I could have only seen the land for myself, I know I could have made it.”

When we can see things for ourselves, we are anointed and it changes things. It can change the way we see others. In the last months, I’ve begun to learn so many new things about our neighbors. Now, I see beyond any annoyances or differences and see the best in each of them. My eyes have been anointed.

It also changes the way we see ourselves. We’ve all done things during this virus that we never thought possible. We’ve embraced the lonely, called the sick, zoomed with relatives and friends, and visited in driveways and yards. We have seen others in a different light and we’ve been amazed at ourselves -our eyes have been anointed.

It changes the way we see our needs. During this time, we’ve seen people less concerned with what we don’t have and more thankful for things we do have. We have compassion and want to help the hungry, the imprisoned, and the homeless. Years ago when Randy and I served a circuit in the Covington area, which I thought was at the end of the world, one of the churches was so small that it was facing a financial crisis when we arrived. The people were panicking and began to turn their focus inward to save themselves. Once they were led to turn their focus outward and help the community, the church began to flourish. The people began to look beyond their own needs, and their eyes were anointed.

It also changes the way we see Jesus. We begin to realize that Jesus is worthy of our praise and worthy of our heart, mind and strength. He is in charge, and if we only let Him, he will anoint us with a new vision and a new strength. We can see Jesus for ourselves!

Jesus says there will be a test at the end where we are accountable for how we see Him, ourselves, others and the world.

One of my favorite hymns says it best. Open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth thou hast for me; Place in my hand the wonderful key, that shall unclasp and set me free. Silently now, I wait for Thee; ready, my God, they will to see; open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine. Clara H. Scott

In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln used the phrase the last full measure of devotion to honor the soldiers who gave their lives in this bloody battle. The phrase has become one that is used to honor American soldiers, firefighters, first responders, and others who sacrificially give or have given their lives for their country, their community or their home.

As we celebrate this Memorial Day in this COVID-19 era, it’s especially fitting that we pause to remember those who laid down their lives for family, friends, country, and freedom. The virus itself is a war and there are many on the front lines in the medical fields just as on the battlefields of war. This has awakened a sense of patriotism in many Americans and the fight against a common enemy has hopefully brought many of us together.

Although this battle and others are ongoing, the biggest battle we, as Americans, fight today is for the soul of our nation. In so many ways, we have fallen away from the America which honored God unashamedly and openly. We’ve seen federal courts restricting religious symbols and removing the ten commandments from the walls. A nation which honored God unashamedly and openly seems to have lost that freedom or right.

There was a time when we credited God for our blessings and our successes, and we turned to Him during times of trials and losses, but today, we seem to have lost that sense of remembrance. Woodrow Wilson said, “A nation that does not remember what it was yesterday does not know what it is today or what it is trying to do.’

There are very few nations with a history like America. For over two hundred years we have been a shining light to the world around us. We have been a launching pad that has taken the gospel to literally the very ends of the earth. People from other countries risk their lives to come here and enjoy the freedoms we enjoy each day.

On this Memorial Day, as we remember those who gave so much for the freedoms we enjoy, may we humble ourselves before God and offer him thanks and may God Bless America.

But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate-we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it will never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government, of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from this earth. Abraham Lincoln

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Recently, I had the chance to watch the movie, Good Morning, Miss Dove, a classic movie about a spinster teacher in a small community. She sacrificed her life’s dreams in order to stay in this community to repay her father’s debt upon his death. The movie is a study of a life well lived helping to raise the students in this community. Miss Dove knows each and every student, their weaknesses, their strengths, and has prepared each one for their life. She has helped them all. Suddenly, she is in need of help, but she has a hard time asking anyone for it. Why is asking for help so hard for us?

For months, we had been in the midst of a quandary. Randy’s only remaining original joint, his left hip, was causing him excruciating pain. Elective surgery had been suspended, and the doctor had told him that surgery would happen as soon as the hospital opened again. We tried dealing with this situation on our own not wanting to bother God for help – He has a lot going on! Finally, we found ourselves saying, “Oh, God, can you help us? We need relief!”

Explaining the sequence of events after that plea is nothing short of a miracle! Randy called the doctor to request pain meds, the doctor petitioned the hospital for surgery, the next day Randy was in the operating room! The surgery was at 9, and he was home by 2!! God was telling us that indeed He can help!

We are so like Miss Dove. We try to do everything all on our own. Finally, we get to that point where we realize we can’t do it on our own! We’ve tried everything except asking for His help. What does it take to get us to ask for help?

First, it takes humility. We have to get over the idea that we can do it on our own, and humble ourselves before God to ask Him for help.

Next, it takes the ability to trust Him. We know we aren’t in control and that Jesus can get us through this, but sometimes it takes just saying “I need Your help, and I trust You to give it” and say it out loud. Jesus can get us through it. Can you help me?

Finally, it takes the power given to us when we ask God for help. We can have the power to make a change in our situation and allow God to lead us in doing this. It’s not enough to think these things in our head and heart, we need the power to say the words, Jesus, can you help me?

The question is not, Can you help me, Jesus – that’s a given. The questions are, “Are we willing to humble ourselves to ask for that help? Are we willing to trust Him to give the help? Are we willing to use the power he gives to change the situation.?”

We can keep trying to do it all on our own in trying times, or we can just say out loud, Jesus, help me.

So, what do we say to those of us who have said out loud, Can you help me, Jesus, and not received the answer we expected? No human can answer, that, but Psalm 27:14 has the answer, “Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.”

Jesus can get us through.

At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from Him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” Luke 8:45

There is a river that runs through time and the universe, vast and inexplicable, a flow of spirit that is at the heart of all existence and every molecule of our being is a part of it. And what is God but the whole of that river? William Kent Krueger

In the pre-COVID-19 era, we pretty much all had our daily routines. We knew what we were doing each day of the week, kept a calendar of activities, and we probably had a list of all the things that needed to be done. In our daily routine, many times we are faced with disruptions that interfere with that routine, but nothing like this virus. Since COVID-19, every day is a disruption, but if we are smart enough to learn from them, those disruptions can provide opportunities.

Jesus had disruptions daily in his ministry, and He was so sensitive to the people and events, that He stopped what He was doing to care and take care of them. We’ve got a choice during this disruptive time, we can keep doing what we are doing, grumble and groan, or we can take the disruption and turn it into something positive.

We can take courage from these disruptions and know that every disruption can offer opportunities if our attitude is positive. C. S. Lewis says. It comes the moment you wake up every morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day come rushing at you like wild animals. Your first job each morning consists of simply shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. And so on all day. Standing back from all your natural fussings and frettings; coming in out of the wind. Don’t let disruptions ruin the day.

During these disruptions, we can take faith, make it our core of confidence and trust Jesus. Remember the hymn, What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear; what a privilege to carry everything to Him in prayer. We must remember that on the cross, he took away all that would crush us – all fear, all shame, all doubt. He used the disruptions for good.

It’s also a time to begin to take action and follow Christ through these disruptions. We can take this time to realize that the living Christ is alive and working now! All you need to do is take action just as you would if your car was headed for a ditch. You wouldn’t sit there and do nothing, you’d take action and steer away from trouble. That’s what’s needed now to turn these disruptions into positive experiences.

I think this hymn by Civillia D. Martin says it best. Be not dismayed whate’er betide; God will take care of you. Beneath his wings of love abide, God will take care of you. God will take care of you; through every day, o’er all the way. He will take care of you…God will take care of you.

This signet from God is the first installment of what’s coming, a reminder that we will get all our inheritance God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. Ephesians 1:14

It’s not what you leave for your children, it’s what you leave in your children. copied

On this Mother’s Day, it’s hard to believe that our Mama has been gone for almost four years. We still miss her everyday, but time has given us a chance to think back on the inheritance she left for us. Although she did leave us material possessions, it is the inheritance she left in our hearts, minds, and memories that are important to us.

The poem is true, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall; I am my Mother after all.” I find myself doing things the way Mama did them, using expressions she used, and following her rules and idiosyncrasies without even realizing that I do it. For example, when I make a pound cake, I always pound the pan three times on the cabinet before I put it in the oven. Why? I never knew until lately that pounding the pan gets all the air bubbles out and helps the cake to rise. I do it because Mama always did it. One of the things I inherited from her.

It doesn’t matter if a Mother is biological, foster, or adopted, they teach us so many life lessons, bestow so much love, and teach us such an appreciation for life and faith. The sad thing is that most of us don’t take time to appreciate all they do and have done for us while we have them! During this COVID-19 era, my prayer is that Mothers and children can take this chance to make some sweet memories.

I’ve had a chance to clean out a lot of junk during this pandemic, but among the junk, I found almost every letter my Mama and I had written to each other during my first year of college. She always saved everything! It was such a sweet treat to go back in time and remember all the ways she was there for me then and always.

Our Mama and Daddy lived through World War II, the depression, and scary times. Mama’s family was poor, but they always worked hard. Mama could have said, “Well, my family never amounted to much, so I won’t either,” but she was always looking for bigger and better things for her parents, her husband, and her children. She claimed God’s promises and always trusted Him to provide. I can see her inheritance in my sisters, all our children, and all our grandchildren.

God said, I will pour my spirit into your descendants and my blessing on your children. It’s a mother’s job to instill a foundation into their children so that those children don’t merely follow her path, but rather build something greater upon that foundation. The decisions mothers make today not only affect them, but also their children.

Mama left an inheritance of generosity, faith, hope, joy, love, talent, kindness, ethics, responsibility, understanding, compassion, and countless other qualities. She prayed that she had raised three girls who could take up where she left off . She gave us roots and wings. I see that inheritance in each of her family’s children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Thank heavens for Mothers not only just on Mother’s Day but rather every day. My prayer is that God will help all mothers to make the right decisions and leave a powerful inheritance for those who follow them.

Happy Mother’s Day!

There is nothing too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. Job 8:21

One of the things I have missed most in these last few weeks is the ability to be in the pool and to stretch all my muscles. Research confirms that stretching is good for your flexibility, blood flow, posture, stress relief, and mood. It also increases your energy and calms your mind. We could all do with a good stretch right now. The more you stretch, the stronger you become.

Faith is like a muscle; trouble may strain it, but in the end it grows stronger. When we are being stretched spiritually, our faith in God grows. I can bet that there are more people praying, more people invoking God’s will, and more people turning to faith than we have ever seen in our lifetime. We are being stretched!

We are being stretched mentally as well. How many of us are playing board games, doing crossword puzzles, putting puzzles together, and even reading books! We are also discovering that our old ideas about life, faith, and even religion are being challenged, and they are either being replaced with new ideas or our old ideas are being reinforced. God is stretching us!

Our relations with others are also being stretched. Selfishness is dying and being replaced with love and caring. We are learning not to take anything for granted but rather to stretch those relationships and fill each day with appreciation for those we love.

Every now and then God allows us to have stretching experiences that prepare us for the races He has called us to run in this life. Even with the stretching, sometimes our soul just “hits the wall” and no amount of strength or pressing ahead will move the problem. This is a soul stretch!

These stretches are just warm ups for the real tests and races that will come. God’s never going to allow us to run a race for Him or without Him, but we’ve got to make sure we are stretched in our thinking, our faith, and our relationships.

During this time when nothing we do seems to move this problem called COVID-19, just remember to take a deep breath and let God work on stretching us. It’s the soul stretching that allows us to face situations we think might kill us, but don’t; and to endure times when we think we won’t make it, but we do.

Sooner or later we all face difficult times, but they are just deep knee bend stretches of life. So when we feel like we are being stretched to the breaking point, don’t quit, keep letting God stretch us!

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken. copied

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end says the Lord God. I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One. Rev. 1:8

One of the great joys of life is being able to read books and draw meaning and entertainment from them. In the kindergarten years, it was rewarding for us teachers to see the joy on the faces of the children as they sat while listening to a book and looking at the pictures as we went through a story together. Later, as we began to move on to chapter books, they began to mature enough to enjoy the story with only infrequent pictures. The thing I love about chapter books is that when we read our chapter for the day, the children knew we weren’t finished. They knew we would continue the story the next time we were together.

The best chapter book of all time is the Bible. The story begins with creation, takes us through good and evil, suffering, hardship, disasters, rebellion, wars, shows us how humans tend to reject their God, comforts us, and finally gives us hope for salvation, forgiveness and love.

Chapter books remind me of the Bible and in particular the resurrection. God has said it is not finished here on this earth, but rather the journey and the story continues.

We all feel like our daily lives are a chapter book right now. We awake and never know what the day will bring, but we do know that through it all, we are learning some powerful coping skills.

Right now, we are all learning how to develop patience. Each day we think maybe the solution will come, the apex will be reached, the curve will flatten, a vaccine will be found, school will start again, businesses will reopen, vacation plans will be realized, and things will begin to return to normal, but while we wait, we are writing a chapter in the book of patience.

We are increasing our vocabulary daily with new words and phrases such as “shelter in place”, “social distancing”, “zoom”, ” pandemic”, “home schooling”, “essential”, “sequestering”, and “quarantine”. We are writing a whole new vocabulary in the chapter book of life during and after the COVID-19 era.

We are using visualization methods to get through the days and nights without human contact and touch. We see friends and loved ones through Zoom, FaceTime, Facebook, and drive by visits. We remember what it was like to hug our friends and loved ones, and we add the chapter of not taking things for granted to our book.

We are also writing lessons on giving as we are learning how we can each reach out to others to offer encouragement, joy, faith, hope and love. We are learning thankfulness for all those who give of themselves each day.

Finally, we are getting practice in the skill of predicting the ending of the book. Students usually know how they want the book to end, the character they want to be the hero, the right way to end the story, but only the author knows the ending. As in kindergarten chapter books, we can all predict how we’d like to see this end, but no human really knows. God is the author of this story, and only He can write the ending .

Through this time, we must remember not to despair. God is the author and preserver of it all and the author of this chapter book. He’s writing a great ending to this chapter book that will show His power and His love.

Stay strong and faithful, and add a chapter every day!

I love to tell the story of unseen things above; Of Jesus and His glory, Of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story because I know tis true. It satisfies my longing as nothing else can do. I love to tell the story, wilt be my theme in glory to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love. I Love To Tell The Story by Alan Jackson