Someone was praying

This Memorial Day we watched a World War II documentary that worked some "deja vu" on me.  The story was about four service chaplains who served aboard a troop transport that was torpedoed and sank early in 1943.  After I finished radio school in Alabama in the fall of that year some of us in that class were sent to a "Com Pool" School up in Connecticut not far from New York City.  It was a six weeks course on ship-to-ship communications in convoy duty using walkie-walkie radio, semaphore flags and signal lights..  After "graduation" we were sent to the Armed Guard Center in Brooklyn, NY, to await further assignment to duty aboard merchant and troop transport ships sailing to either the European or Pacific war theaters.  Armed Guard units consisted of gunners manning 3- and 5-inch and 20 millimeter cannons and, of course, providing radio- and signalmen to bolster the merchant crew.  We did not talk much about which ocean which preferred to serve in, but it sure was not the North Atlantic as the German subs were destroying thousands of tons of shi pping with their prowling "wolf packs" of deadly U-boats.  What a relief it was to learn that our group was being divided alphabetically and all in A to K were being shipped to New Orleans for duty in the Pacitic.  This was not a "piece of cake," however, as my first ship was loaded with bombs, other ammunition and war equipment and headed for New Guinea...and traveling alone without escort or convoy!  I knew about the Lord at that time, but did not know Him personally, and I did have loved ones and friends praying for me back home.  We had some scares on that trip and more later, but the Lord kept me and brought me to faith in Him after the war, for which I praise Him,  I was ready for duty, but not ready for eternity until later.  But, after the war in the Pacific ended in August 1945 I completed my three-year enlistment in the Naval Reserve by serving aboard the USAT President Jackson (a converted cruise liner on the pre-war President Line) and helping to return our troops from the Far East.
The accommodations were similar to those aboard the USAT Dorchester that went down with over six hundred men and with only two hundred being rescued, some of those because four selfless chaplains gave them their own life-jackets!  We don't understand how God works in events like this, but we do know that He gave the victory in World War II, and since.  On this special day we are grateful to Him for those who have served and those who have given their lives to keep America strong and free.  Let all who know Christ as Saviour and Lord "pray for all that are in authority...Who will have all men to be saved..." - I Timothy 2:1-6.

"Kaboom!"

Springtime is always an exciting time in Indiana.  We have had a nice spring so far...only one bad tornado warning ...no funnels sighted.  So we've been blessed, among other things to celebrate Mary K.'s 84th birthday, on April 22.  She's still my "teen bride" and I love her, appreciate her more each day.  She was privilege to take training at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, at the Child Evangelism Training Institute in Muskegon, MI, but she received her "PhD" from the "Whitfield&Gladys Jackson Practical Bible Training College"!  Her mother and father, by Biblical example and precept rooted and grounded her in the Christian faith and prepared her for a lifetime of faithful service for the Lord Jesus Christ.  While I was studying at Moody we chose II Corinthians 6:1 as a life verse:  "We then as workers together..." and that summarizes our 65 years of ministry...and we pray it will until the Lord calls us Home in death or the Rapture!  She grew up on the Jackson Farm (early near Newport, IN, and later just west of Wallace, IN) as a "neglected" child having no TV, only parents who loved and guided her, and chores, including care of animals, to build her body and character!  Taking a stand for Christ in her teens, she maintained to her folks that Wallace .had no datable guys. Well, after the evening that I first took her to church and as she was about to go to sleep in her upstairs bedroom her dad climbed up the nearby windmill and whispered loudly in her open window, "there aren't any boys to date in Wallace!"  Her parents were humble and hard-working (Dad served as deacon at Yeddo Baptist Church), but above all they were faithful prayer-warriors.  We always said that God gave Mom first priority to her prayers...it was "dangerous" to share a burden with her!  We'll never forget her funeral...she and Dad were the last to be allowed interment in the government-protected family cemetery near Newport, and at the graveside service (on Mother's Day in 1980) Pastor had just closed with a benediction, when a loud clap of thunder sounded "kaboom!"...just as if the Lord was saying, "AMEN!" to a life well-lived.  On this approaching Mother's Day, I thank God for my life-long partner Mary K., for her mother, for my mother (Mamaw Grimes who went to be with the Lord in 1987), and for our great daughters, grand-daughters and grand-daughters-in-law and for faithful mothers everywhere.  We pray for you, that God will bless and use you in these confusing times to validate the Biblical institution of motherhood.  Maybe your exit from this old world will not be announced with a literal "kaboom!," but be applauded by Heaven, too, as you remember that "Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised!" -- Proverbs 31:1-31(30).

The March of Time

Time seemed to pass so very slowly in my growing-up years. I thought my 16th birthday would never come, as that would make it possible to get a Beginner Driving Permit and in a few months lead to that coveted Driver's License when I could drive Dad's car all alone! TV, of course, was unheard of and we gleaned world and local news through the newspapers and radio...and the loafer's bench at Dad's store or over at Fender's Garage. However, if and when we enjoyed a movie at a theater in Veedersburg or Crawfordsville we would catch up on U.S. and world events by way of "The March Of Time" newsfilm showing. Why, some of those news reports were not more than a week old! Boy, how things have changed...it's old hat nowadays by the time it's reported on the TV evening news. I say all this to confess that "the march of time" has really caught up with me this month. I celebrated my 87th birthday on March 3...and to think I once fretted because #16 seemed never to arrive. But, believe me, time is marching on. In the Bible Job confessed: "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle" (7:6) and "my days are swifter than a post(man)" (9:25). The Apostle Paul advises us to be "redeeming the time (buying up opportunities), because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16) Looking back, life is like a blur...filled with burdens and blessings. I thank the Lord for His goodness, love and mercy in allowing me to reach age 21 when He relieved me of my burden of sin and gave me the blessing of forgiveness and eternal life. I don't know what the future holds, but as has been said, I know Him Who holds the future. Every day ahead will be a day of grace, because He goes with me and before me, and I just pray to live out my days to the blessing of others and the glory of my Saviour. In case the reader is struggling with the uncertainty of time, you can be sure of eternity with Jesus: "behold, now is the accepted time (to prepare); behold, now is the day of salvation!" (II Corinthians 6:2)

"ummmmm" and "um"

It was late in my Navy career and, as best I can recall, I was home on leave or had been recently discharged from the service. At the invitation of my parents I went across the street from our home to attend the Sunday morning service at the church where I had learned and even served during my adolescent years. It was good to be back and to enjoy the hymn-singing and fellowship with some old friends, just like the "old days" before World War II. But this Sunday service was different. There was special music -- a nice-looking teenager playing a hymn on a marimba, surely the first time I had ever witnessed such an event! She was none other than Mary Kathryne ("Katie") Jackson who was a friend of my younger sisters Joan and Jean. I had met her briefly months before on a short leave and thought she was a good girl to hang out with my kid sisters. But this occasion was markedly different, or I guess I was! She was wearing a nice black dress and really making heavenly music! To myself I could only observe: "ummmmmm!" Nothing happened after the meeting, but some time later (as I recorded in an earlier blog, I think...) I was bored at home on a Sunday evening and asked my Mother if she knew any Christian girl I might take to church, she quickly recommended that I call Katie Jackson and ask her. Well, I did, and she agreed, believe it or not, and since our little home church did not have an evening service that Sunday, I took Katie some 15 miles down to the Waterman Baptist Church at Lodi, IN, where they were holding an evangelistic service, which gave me a little discomfort, praise the Lord! But I was still going"ummmmm"
in my heart to be in her presence ... and still am! You know the rest of the story...like this past December 18 marked 62 years of marriage. Well, I was reading in my old German Bible to start the new year and discovered that, when God was to create a helpmate for Adam in Genesis 2:18, she was to be "um" him for life. The word literally means she was to be "around" him continually as a help "meet" or suitable for him. So, I really think that, when God presented Eve to him
in that first wedding ceremony, he was thinking "um!" and "ummmmmm!"...and for 900 years or so thereafter! That said, we do wish all you lovers, young and old, a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Surely, "Many waters cannot quench love..." - Song of Solomon. 8:7.

Turkey Tale

My stint in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War II was concluded aboard the USS President Jackson, an "Attack Transport" that had been a cruise liner before the war. Our quarters were crowded and anything but luxurious, but we had to make plenty of room for the thousands of troops we and others were bringing home from the Philippines. So, on November 22, 1945, we were celebrating our first Thanksgiving after the war, out on the Pacific somewhere west of San Francisco. The "General Mess" holiday menu read: "Thanksgiving Dinner: ROAST TOM TURKEY...Thyme dressing...Spiced ham...Giblet gravy...Cranberry sauce...Mashed sweet potatoes...Buttered green peas...Sweet pickles...Ripe olives...Head lettuce with French dressing... Mixed nuts...Assorted candy...Fruit cake...Hot mince pie...Bread...Butter...Coffee...Cigars and Cigarettes"!-- really quite a scrumptious meal to please Navy crew and Army passengers alike! Later, on December 22, 1945, we radiomen up in the Radio Shack received the following message from the "Commander-in-Chief in the Pacific": "CINCPAC sends to the personnel of the Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas his BEST WISHES for the Christmas Season, our first one in peace after nearly four years of a hard fought and successful war." We spent Christmas, then, in drydock near San Francisco, made more round trips to bring our soldiers home, and I was discharged at Great Lakes, IL, on March 10, 1946. This year (just 65 years later!) we rejoiced to celebrate Thanksgiving with loved ones at the Ole Home Place at Wallace, with sister Jean and brother-in-law Bob Larsh graciously hosting the event, and with "missionary kids" Phil and Mary Ruth Taylor (wrapping up a 9-month furlough from Brazil, S.A.) and daughter (our granddaughter) Rachel (visiting from Memphis, TN) as our special guests. We hope all of our readers had a great Thanksgiving...and we wish you all a BLESSED CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR! Surely, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live (eternally) through Him!"- I John 4:9. May this promise be precious to you, too!

Indian Summer

Recently I asked a fellow-resident if we were in "Indian Summer" yet. He said, "No, it arrives after the third frost!" Well, it did frost last night, at least for the third time, so I guess we are officially enjoying Indian Summer with 66 degrees outside temperature, a warm breeze and beautiful sunshine. Across the street we can see the huge combine parked, after harvesting the corn and soybean fields nearby. We oldsters are amazed at the modern farming methods and miss the excitement of fall harvests years ago. I recall my schoolmates who lived on the farm and helped their parents after school and on the weekend, the boys arguing about whether a "peg" or "hook" was best for shucking (or husking) corn...and, how many bushels they had shucked in a day's work! We had no way to determine which boy was the best shucker or just a good liar! At any rate, Dad's supply of "Corn Huskers Lotion" at the store was greatly reduced in a short time. But speaking of competition, it wasn't just the teenage harvesters who made great claims, because their dads were just as handy or even more experienced with a peg or hook, or in reporting huge numbers of ears of corn tossed into waiting horse-drawn wagons. In the late 1930's we remember a stellar event for the shuckers -- the National Corn Husking Contest held near Newport, Indiana...and in fields actually bordering Grandpa Jackson's (Mary K.'s father's) farm! This contest held more excitement then for country folks than a Nascar race does nowadays, but especially for Grandpa, as he was warned that his corn field might be needed for parking for the big crowd anticipated. So he had to work overtime to get his corn shucked. We don't remember who actually won the national competition, but Grandpa should have received a prize for clearing the way. At least he set a record for getting his own harvest done! With fall rains and approaching winter there is always an urgency about the fall harvest. And this reminds me of another, eternally important harvest that God is concerned about (and we should be): "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!" (Jeremiah 8:20). Dear reader, if you have put off a decision to receive Christ as your Saviour, we urge you to take advantage of this "Indian Summer" of grace and to trust Him today! Truly, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation!" (II Corinthians 6:2).

Hip-hip Hooray!

This Fourth of July was not only a celebration of our country's 235th birthday, but for me it was also a time of thanksgiving for recovery from my hip implant replacement surgery! I am grateful to God for the relief from bone-on-bone pain, for the skills of the surgeon (Dr. Hornback) , the anesthesiologist (Dr. Dan Hesler, our great-nephew), hospital and nursing home nurses and therapists, plus the home health care nurse and therapists, and counsel of a retired nurse in our building, all who brought me to a sort of "graduation" last month. Also, the extra-special TLC from Mary K./Mamaw here at home while tugging on my pressure hose (to reduce swelling) and caring for countless other needs. And we appreciated our special "rehab team" of daughter Ruth and son-in-law Phil who are home on missionary furlough from Brazil and were able be close to help "get our act together" -- like Ruth relieving Mamaw in the kitchen and Phil securing special bathroom aids and filling in for me at our Thursday Bible Class here at Rosedale Court. Along with the prayers of friends and loved ones we surely appreciate the tangible support from daughter Judy and son-in-law Mike out in Washington state who sent birthday, Mother's and Father's day gifts and packages filled with gourmet coffee, trail mix, candy, vitamin supplements, etc., etc. -- what therapy, too! We are asked from time to time if the pain is gone and we answer that we still have some discomfort from the old spinal stenosis problem, but doctor thinks that this will improve, too, in time. Anyway, in spite of possible changes in the healthcare system of our country we praise the Lord for its care of its senior citizens. We celebrated the independence of our great land by having Phil, Ruth and fellow-resident Anna for a "picnic" in our apartment with all the "trimmings" of cole slaw, potato salad, and Hebrew Kosher HOTDOGS ...and, of course, American flags decorating our table and balcony railing ... finally, at dark we watched the fireworks at the Crawfordsville park from the parkinglot here! We continue in prayer: "Our fathers' God, to Thee, Author of liberty, To Thee we sing: Long may our land be bright With freedom's holy light; Protect us by Thy might, Great God our King!" Truly, "happy is that people, whose God is the LORD!" - Psalm 144:15.