Love Story 52 years

I would like to introduce you to my good friends, Beth and Carl. I have requested prayer for Carl over the last few months and he is healing and hopes to be home in a few weeks. Thanks to all that prayed.

Recently, I asked Beth to share with us their love story. She gave me what I might call Part 1. You just might want to hear more. ♥️

We met in June of 1966 at Mount Olive college. He had just got out of the army, and was enrolling in college! He was one handsome, sweet man. There were only 22 girls living on campus for summer school. He asked several of them to go out before he added me! He’s always saved the best for last. Ha ha!
When we did have our first date, it was just us from then on. 
In September, he asked me to marry him and in January, we were married. 
The only way my Mother would bless the marriage was if we promised to complete our college education. 
He opted for a 2 yr business degree and after I graduated from Mount Olive, I transferred to ECU and got my degree in education.
He worked in Sales at  a TV station and I taught school.  He eventually opened his own Advertising agency.
One unique thing about our marriage is we never lived by ourselves until my Mother passed away in 2010.
Carl’s Mother died when he was 11 months old. When he was almost 3 he came to the farm on which we have spent our married life! His foster parents were older when they got him. They were a loving Christian couple who married late and had no children of their own. She died when Carl was 14 and he and his foster father continued to live together. When we married, he was elderly and we couldn’t bare to leave him alone, so we moved in with him.
Our daughter was born 4 years before he died. Drs told us her being here extended his life. 3 yrs later our son was born. When he was 9 my Mother came to live with us. Carl and I felt Mama could have an easier time financially if she lived with us. She was able to do that for 23 years.
After last child left for college we still had Mama, so we only had the empty nest after she passed away.
God has been so good to us, in that we were able to live with in-laws, by having our children experience the love, heritage, and wisdom of their Grandparents. It was not always easy, but was a good situation for all, 
We’ve been through the best of times and the worst of times always with Love and God’s Grace. 
We are blessed with our two children, their spouses, and our 5 beautiful Grandchildren, our Church family and many dear friends.
Our greatest achievement with God’s help has been that our children have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. Perfect, they are not but they do their best to serve the Lord at home and elsewhere! In addition to their careers, our son and his wife are Christian Counselors who counsel men and women who have sexual addictions like pornographers and affairs.
Our daughter is cordinator of programs for little girls and is active in helping with youth program. Our son-in-law is an adult Sunday school teacher, Deacon and sings in the choir.
I’m not sure ours is the most romantic love story, but it is a love story that continues after 52 years!
God must have had a plan for your saying you would love to hear our Love Story, because I’ve been especially blessed in sharing it with you, my friend!
I am at home resting, before I go back to the rehab unit this afternoon! 
Thank you so much for asking!
You are truly an angel among us!
Love you!
Beth
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Book Review-Next Level Thinking” by Joel Osteen.

A few days ago, I felt to get out a book that Sara had written for a Daily Lily annual retreat that I and others that participate on this website attended in 2008. The Work book is titled, “The Four Bees of Giftings – Finding Your Spiritual Gifts”. The reason for re-studying this was prompted by a gift that I received for Christmas from Tammy M, “Next Level Thinking” by Joel Osteen. As I read Joel’s latest book, it jogged my memory about many similar things I had studied in Sara’s book. So, I began to study both books concurrently and found many parallels, some of which I would like to share related to our gifts.

Both authors agree that we need to be finding and using our unique gifts. And both emphasize that in order to do this we must not compare ourselves with someone else. Joel states, “Be who God created you to be. You are an original. You have something to offer the world that nobody else has. Let your gifts shine.” Sara writes, “You are unique, there is not another you. Your gifts live and die with you. If you don’t develop them, they will not be used.”

Joel contends that in order to accomplish this, we must leave behind negative mind sets and move up into “next-level thinking”; Sara puts it this way, “You can accomplish much more than you think if you reframe your thinking.”

The authors said that one of the biggest hindrances to being ourselves, happy with who we are and with our gifts is jealousy. Sara warns us: “There should be no jealousy of one another’s gifts because that would be a block to your own. If you see someone else writing a book you wanted to write, got published before you got to be published, encourage them, exhort them…because you are watering your own gift to come forth when you recognize and exhort and encourage another. When you feel happy, joyful about another’s gifts your gift will shine.” Joel admonishes us saying, “Don’t get distracted trying to keep up with someone whom you were never supposed to keep up with. When you understand you are fully loaded for the race that’s been designed for you, instead of competing with people, you’ll celebrate them. The right attitude is: They may have something that I don’t, but that’s ok. I’m not running their race. I’m equipped for my destiny.” And he uses the biblical illustration of Saul’s jealousy toward David and says Saul, “didn’t realize they weren’t in the same race. He wasn’t competing with David. If Saul had been happy for David, he wouldn’t have missed his destiny.”

These examples were a couple of highlights that I hope will encourage you as they have me. I found thinking on and comparing the same biblical truths written in two different styles/ways by two different authors to be very helpful.

Debi and Tammy M

The start of 2019

Rena Oynes (photo) on her way to Bible Study Fellowship, aka BSF, a branch in Alabama. Rena studies and works in Children’s ministry there as well as teaching Sunday School in her local Baptist Church.

Rena painted a Cardinal for Thedailylily for our Christmas enjoyment 2018. This little bright red Cardinal fluttered onto a sweatshirt made by Custom Ink. They did a great job to give praise to all of us that write and often journal our thoughts here. If you could read the ensign that has been silk screened on the shirt Rena is wearing you would read, “I know every bird on the mountains…for all the world is mine.” Psalm 50:11-12

Fly High in 2019!

Rena Oynes

A Blessing from Pastor Reggie

We have been greatly blessed since August 2018 and ongoing 2019 to be a part of the study of the “Book of Judges” taught by Pastor Reggie Webb of Edenton, NC. We are so blessed to live in various places and yet join together in study, fellowship and prayer. When God gives us connections and we strengthen them through Bible Studies, sharing in understanding and prayers we are “Faith Keepers.”

We are deeply grateful for the personal touch of he and his precious wife, Nancy, that show us by example humility and include us in their prayers. Thank you.

If you haven’t joined the study yet the beauty of posting you can find lesson I posted here with ongoing studies as Pastor Reggie skillfully takes us through the book of Judges. Time and place not an excuse they are here 24/7.

Thanks Tammy Holton for the connection.

2019

Peeks with a wink in windows everywhere🌏 Hope the peek-wink is welcome with joy for the New Year, 2019, in homes and hearts around the globe! 

I had the opportunity of sharing in a listening group by Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson of St Monica Catholic Community, California. He surely peaked-peeked my interest by asking a question that he had been asked recently, “What is it like to really be you right now.”

He had been asked, “what is it really like to be you right now?” He was able to answer so thoughtfully from his inner being. He first recognized that he was being a Pastor from the age of now being 79 which rode into his life with a few new energy limitations. He felt more freer to be himself than ever before, more peaceful and grateful to have a reservoir of Grace to draw from among other interesting thoughts of knowing himself.

Monsignor was so interesting in sharing living in his now moment. He surely shepherded the heart of each listener into Hope, slow down, communicate, listen, share. The moral of his sharing from my peak-peek was taking time and heart to have meaningful conversations with others regardless of who they are or where you find others. Learn from one another.

I want to start now my asking you, yes you, “what’s it like to be you right now”?