Betty Whitaker Jackson

Well, here it is again–Mother’s Day. This day has been set aside since 1908 (https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/mothers-day) if you care to read the history.

Yesterday I was overwhelmed by the array of  spring flowers and chocolates displayed at our local grocery store. It looked like the overly done floral displays, many times done by people with no knowledge of gardening, on Hallmark movie sets. The intense pretext that the simplest way to say Happy Mother’s Day is to bring the obligatory floral…..

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It used to be, May Day was a time of flowers, May Pole Dances, and welcoming spring. The tradition was, romantically, that a young man would hang flowers, usually in a little basket, on the door of his beloved as a sign of love. It was supposed to be from “a secret admirer,” and he tried to run away before she discovered the gift.

Now, it’s a long-gone tradition, but when the children were young, we would pick flowers from…..

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Tomorrow is May 1st, a time for giving flowers to your neighbors. I remember as a child, and as a good neighbor, making little bouquets and hanging them on people’s front doorknobs. Now, with security cameras and neighbors we don’t even know, it might be a little risky, but I love the idea. It was a way to welcome spring, to encourage others to think kind thoughts, and a way to put a spring in someone’s step.

This morning I…..

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The more civil unrest I see in our country, the more excited I am to think about this verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 1: Now you ahe every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.   Our weekend training seminar called Express Your Faith, conducted by the…..

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I’m borrowing a quote from Susie’ Larson’s des calendar “Blessings for Every Day” today.  For April 21, she writes, “He, meaning our loving and resourceful God, gives good gifts to His children.”

What a wonderful weekend we at Covenant Church had. As I’ve written lately, we’ve spent the better part of three years waiting for yesterday. We just dedicated our new church facility to God’s use yesterday. We met the architect, the builders, the financial gurus who made it all…..

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I’ve been walking a difficult journey lately, actually all three of us Whitaker sisters have been slogging through difficult fields the last few months. But every few days, something occurs that shows our difficulty is that we’re so busy focusing on negative things and troubles, our smiles are not “reaching our eyes,” because we’re feeling overwhelmed. Yes, I borrowed the phrase about our eyes from a remarkable post https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies by Josie Siler.  I wanted to know the context of the…..

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I always say when I publish a new book, when someone asks, “What’s your favorite of the books you’ve written?” my answer is always, “The latest one!”

From January to March 2024, I have facilitated a writing class at Glenbrooke Senior Living in Florida. The class, called You Are Unique!  met weekly to write personal stories these octogenarians could leave as legacies to their families. In addition to these personal essays and reflections, they have written their obituaries. They decided…..

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One of the best things about being a Christian is that through Christ who intervenes for us in the throneroom of heaven, invests us with power to conquer in His name. This weekend, I saw examples of this once again. On Friday i went to several places, seeking a new place for my sister Dottie to be here in Florida in an  assisted living facility. With prayer and good counsel, we found such a place.

Secondly, we worshipped in our…..

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Teo churches, ours at Covenant in Pal Bay and First Baptist in Melbourne hold their first Easter services in newly built sanctuaries this morning. What a marvelous new beginning for these Christians in our area who have waited so long for this weekend to come.  Building in the post-COVID time has been difficult, fraught with numerous delays, and addressing inspections, worker shortages, financial considerations, and worshipping, for Covenant, in school cafeterias for almost three years. Finally, new facilities with promises…..

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The early followers of Jesus faced three sad days. This day between Good Frida and Easter must have been frightening and certainly a day of mourning. We, however, know the joy of Easter’s resurrection. For those who do now have the sure knowledge of its occurrence, they are still living in darkness.

The disciples faced some difficult times with Jesus’ presence with them. It is said they hid. It is said they watched his ascension, another blow to their understanding……

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