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As
we near closing 2004's eyes, the year in reflections
piles high. Our church matured spiritually during the
study and completion of THE FORTY DAYS OF PURPOSE. We
celebrated First Baptist Church's 100 anniversary in
grand style as we exalted our Lord and Savior. We sent
a team of missionaries to Bangkok to teach and spread
His glorious word, and we watched the presentation of
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Each brought blessings
abundantly as participates and spectators. I hope your
Christmas was as awesome.
I'm
sitting in my son's living room in Memphis, Tennessee,
as I pen my last article of 2004, snow and ice are
piled high. I've seen something happen here I've never
seen before. Snow fell from the sky in such cold and
wet conditions it covered the ground like a slab of
ice. In the neighborhood where Keith lives there were
seventy-four wrecks, around the mall area, in less
than four hours. Businesses closed their doors with
Christmas Eve shoppers still needing to shop, church
programs and Christmas services were canceled. The
news stressed humans to stay home. Today, church
services were still being canceled. The ice
semi-melts, re-freezes, and becomes even more
hazardous.
It
reminds me that these are some of the same conditions
for falling out of a DAILY RELATIONSHIP with God. We
eat on the run and forget to thank God for our food.
We skip church and Sunday school to catch up on tasks
we didn't finish during the week and the following
Sunday is easier to miss. We are too busy to call
friends or loved ones we know need encouragement and
help. With life in such a hurry, we become cold and
indifferent. Hazardous conditions prevent us from
telling THE GOOD NEWS that we are commanded to do in
Acts l:8.
Pat
and I have been blessed beyond measure during this
year. My writing has allowed me a few extra trips to
the bank as I won several poetry contests. (not big
checks, but checks) I've had two books of my poetry
published and even sold a few copies. We traveled
eight times to visit family and friends and attended a
poetry conference in Abilene, Texas. We celebrated our
grandson's birthdays with Pat's. Sixty years apart,
they share the same calendar's week. Pat's mom joined
us in this celebration. What a blessing! Our
daughter-in-law has become our friend, and I can
honestly say, "I love my son's wife." AGAIN, what a
blessing!!! We have a daily relationship with her now.
This
brings me to the core of the theme for my final 2004
article. With life in such a hurry, a new task awaits
us now. When we return to Artesia, our life will take
a different turn, a slower pace. We are facing kidney
dialysis...Pat's kidneys have dropped two more levels
during the end of November. He faces this very brave
and with an outstanding attitude. I watch him, He is
not scared. That's how I want to feel, That's how I
want to act. That's how I want to live. I feel like a
rug has been pulled out from underneath me. Even
though I know God is in control, I feel panicky, not a
good witness for God my Savior, and hazardous, much
like the road conditions we've witnessed since
Christmas Eve.
I
know you all have been praying for us, and we do so
much appreciate your prayers. They help keep us going.
They are laying the ground work for the challenge that
lies ahead for us. It is a great blessing to know
prayers are being lifted up on our behalf...and we
know prayer changes all things. May 2005 mature us
even more spiritually than 2004 did, and may we accept
the slower pace of life God sees fit to give to Pat
and I.
God
Bless you all, and thanks for being our brothers and
sisters in Christ.
Carol Dee Meeks |
