Betty Whitaker Jackson

This week I’ve celebrated several highs and am thankful for them.  Some of them are very personal. I enjoyed shopping with my Nancy for new furniture. As she approaches her fortieth birthday next week, she has turned her focus to improvements to her home. She has refinanced her mortgage, a very wise move. She will own her home much sooner. She’s way ahead of her parents who have never “burned a mortgage.” God willing, she will have other options because…..

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I’ve been away from writing my blog for a while. Life has intervened.

Have I been writing? Oh, yes. Since I last wrote, I have endured several life-events, as I call them, so I need to journal about them.

First, I submitted a short story, I think my best one, to a competition. It was rejected because I used lyrics from two meaningful songs: “Send in the Clowns,” by Stephen Sondheim, and “Sournds of Silence,” by Paul Simon. They were…..

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We need to know the truth. In these days of talking heads bringing us “news,” most of what we’re hearing is opinion, innuendo, false claims, and feeble arguments. Here’s the truth: Jesus told us,  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  You can rationalize it all you wish, but there are no answers to life’s big questions without acknowledging their is a Creator God who desires nothing but our…..

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From Susie Larson’s “Blessings for Every Day”: “May God do brand-new things in and through you! May He break every generational stronghold that keeps you from knowing and experiencing His great love for you. May He move every mountain that blocks your view of Him. May He fill every low place with pools of blessings. And may He restore everything stolen so you can have the life He intended for you from the beginning of time. Your Redeemer is strong…..

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Is waiting a problem for you? Do you get tense, stressed, nervous, uncomfortable, or eager when you have to wait?

Patience is a virtue, yes, but how we wait can say something about who we are as individuals, whether virtuous or not.

Do you fidget? Do you look for distractions? Do you talk to yourself? Do you try to read and find you’ve read the same paragraph six times?

Does it matter if you’re waiting for a late plane or…..

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Politicians, commentators, TV entertainers, scoffers all: listen to what Psalm 1 says and change your ways. Those who listen to their opinions, especially those who parrot others’ thoughts or seek attention to themselves with outrageous statements need to consider the golden rule and God’s standards of propriety and truth.

Yes, we are still, in this country where freedom is espoused, express our opinions. Yes, we social animals like to call attention to ourselves because we think we have knowledge. But…..

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Pat Robertson reminds us, “God wants to anoint us with joy and gladness.”  How do we know? Proverbs 14: 13, 30, and 15 says: “A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit. a cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health. For the happy heart, life is a continual feast.”

I know this has been a difficult time for our country, for many families, for our world. I know there…..

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Ten years ago I was overwhelmed with the sense of wonder at holding my hours-old grandchild, Kaley Marie Jackson, looking at her angelic face, her perfect little hands, and her eyes as they opened to light and noticed things around her for the first time.

She exhibits the same sense of wonder and joy as she explores things now. She is interested in just everything, soaks up knowledge, delights in God’s world, and shows apppreciation and excitement when she learns…..

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One of the great things I enjoy about the Christian life is the sense of security in knowing that God is sovereign, He is in charge, and that according to His providence, those of faith can live this life, in spite of difficulties and challenges, knowing that He does all things according to justice, mercy, and grace, and that we need not fear anything in this life if we are His.

The Bible uses the term “Fear Not” 365 times……

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Live gives us choices. I’ve been reading through the book of Proverbs lately in my Chronological Bible study for the year. I am more and more convicted that the choices we make determine our path through life, and that the path through life is guided by a Providential God Who wants only the best for His children made in His image. The question is, do we follow the commandments of God or the whimsy and desires of our sinful hearts?…..

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