Lessons Learned from Special People

Roy was a godly man of small stature. We first met him when we were moving into our parsonage in the hills of Virginia. He helped us with boxes and was a friendly face in a new place. We learned to love Roy as we worshiped together. I think the Lord was especially close to Roy because he couldn't read. So the Lord visited him on a regular basis as they had fellowship together. Occasionally he would see visions of angels. His dear wife read the Bible to him for the 50 plus years they were married. This Godly man taught me lessons on faith, prayer, and how an unlearned man can exceed his educational limitations and soar to heavenly heights in this life. Roy was ready that night he suffered a heart attack and God took him home to heaven. At his funeral I was asked to sing a duet with my friend Eva Ketner. When we sang the verse in the hymn, How Great Thou Art, that begins . . .When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation And lead me home, what joy shall fill my heart. . . his widow, Gertrude, began shouting with joy. She knew he was with Jesus and she would see him again someday.

Paul walked with an unstable gait and used his cane as he came into our church in Altoona. His smile was broad and his heart was huge. Paul spoke with difficulty and stammered some. But when you got to know him, you could understand most of what he said. He was sharp mentally and his cerebral palsy didn't keep him down. He was always anxious to attend church and would testify to God's goodness. When we had revival Paul would often invite the evangelist and Steve and I to his home for lunch. He would have the table set and the food ready for me to help him get it on the table. Paul even traveled with us to Florida to attend a camp meeting once. He was humorous and enjoyed teasing at times. He used his 50 plus years of wisdom to get a nice apartment and hosted the men's Bible Study occasionally. I learned so much from Paul. I learned there are various types of cerebral palsy and not all victims of this illness have the same disabilities. Paul loved the Lord and I was blessed to know him and I look forward to seeing him in heaven, walking the streets of gold with no disabilities and praising the Lord without a stammering tongue.

There is a special thirty-some thing young man in our church here in Chambersburg. Kelby was born with Down Syndrome. He is a Philadelphia Eagles fan and he loves the Dukes of Hazard. Kelby works on his uncle's dairy farm. He serves as an usher at our church and is a friendly greeter to those he meets. Kelby is such an inspiration as he worships his Lord. Sometimes he comes down to the end of the aisle near the altar and kneels, lifting his arms up in praise to God. It blesses my heart when I see him. Sometimes he puts me to shame. How am I worshiping? Am I comfortable openly being demonstrative in worship? I believe that Kelby is a lover of God and it shows. We are blessed to have him as part of our family of God. I can learn much by his example.

Who is in your life that you can learn from? The lady next door? The man across the street? The child sitting in front of you in church? Take a moment and look around you. See what life lessons you can learn and then adopt them to your life. You will be richer indeed.

Special thanks to my husband, Steve, who helped jog my memory for this blog post.

The Value of a Gift

The Dandelion

By Anita McIlveen

In the spring of the year when the grass turns green

There is a weed that grows plentiful for all to be seen.

It is yellow and round

and stays close to the ground.

But many a child never guessing

    Collects them and thinks they are a blessing.

With eyes glowing and a smile that is broad

They take their bouquet as a gift from God.

And to whom should they give this above any other

But to the one person that they call Mother?

So the moral of this poem is that a weed growing wild

is transformed into a flower by the love of a child.

There is an old saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” But I also think “The value of a gift is in the eye of the beholder.” A bouquet of dandelions is a welcome gift from a child. But if a spouse gave this gift it would be received very differently. With Mother's Day just a few weeks away, it is important to give gifts that the receiver will really appreciate. Some women like roses while others like carnations. When I am asked what I want for mother's day, I usually say, “A flower with a root!” This way I can plant it and enjoy it year after year. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy cut flowers at times too. I love roses because of their beauty but I love carnations because of their fragrance.

As a mother and a school bus driver, I have received the gift of words. A message of love and appreciation is a welcome gift. A love letter from a spouse or fiance is a treasured gift. Give the gift of words to people you love now instead of at their funeral.

We have been offered the best gift of all, Jesus. John 4:10 tells us about the Samaritan woman to whom Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is saying to you Give me a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Have you accepted this gift? If not, you can right now! Pray the sinners prayer today.

If you are already a Christian, you have at your fingertips the greatest gift to give. That is telling your friends, neighbors, the people you meet in a day's travels about the love of God and the gift of Jesus and how He can be their Friend. Pray for opportunities and then pray that you will recognize the opportunity and then ask for courage to share your faith. You will be amazed how God can give you eyes to see and a heart that wants to share the greatest gift you have ever received. Tell someone about Jesus today.

Biblical Truth Hidden in a Secular Song?

I play secular music on my school bus radio for my high school students in the morning. It is a mix of songs and I enjoy the talk of the hosts between songs too. A song came on that has lyrics that made me wonder if it is a Christian song. But it is not. It is a secular love song titled, One Call Away, by Charlie Puth. I will show you the similarities in the the words and phrases but first off I thought of the title, One Call Away, and immediately my mind went to Jeremiah 33:3, which has been referred to as God's telephone number: Jere33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

I will print the complete song at the bottom of this blog and give a link to the song. The song phrases will be in bold: “I'm only one call away; I'll be there to save the day”. Deuteronomy 31:8, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” It is God who will rescue you.

“Call me, baby, if you need a friend, I just wanna give you love.” The words, call me, make me think of prayer. We can talk to Jesus anytime. I Thessalonians tells us, “Pray without ceasing.” Jesus says in John 15:15 “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” And God loves us so much He gave His son to die for us on the cross. John 3:16. But His love continues on into eternity. I John 4:16 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

“Come along with me and don't be scared, I just wanna set you free.” Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” In Galatians 5:1 we read, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” God will set you free if you ask Him!

“No matter where you go You know you're not alone.” Hebrews 13:5 tells us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” God will never leave us alone.

“And when you're weak I'll be strong.” God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” It is when we are weak that Christ's power is easily recognized in us and it also brings glory to Him.

“And when it you feel like hope is gone Just run into my arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27 tells us, “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Also, Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” There is a contemporary Christian song that I like; Forever Reign by Hillsong. The chorus says, “Oh, I'm running to your arms, I'm running to your arms, the riches of your love will always be enough. Nothing compares to your embrace, Light of the world forever reign.” Listen to it here.

Throughout this secular song Superman is referenced. No person or figment of a person's imagination who created Superman for a television program could ever compare to our Almighty God. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev 1:8. Psalm 62:11, “Once God has spoken; Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.” Psalm 65:6, “Who establishes the mountains by His strength, being girded with might.”

So for a secular love song, One Call Away, is a good song with a nice melody. But knowing these Biblical truths makes it even better! So think upon the blessings that God has provided for us and realize that He is only one call away; He loves us and wants to be our Friend; He wants to set us free; He will never leave us alone; He will be our strength; we can run into His arms when we feel hope is gone; and He is our Almighty God!

You can listen to One Call Away here.

One Call Away

By Charlie Puth



I'm only one call away
I'll be there to save the day
Superman got nothing on me
I'm only one call away
Call me, baby, if you need a friend
I just wanna give you love
Come on, come on, come on
Reaching out to you, so take a chance
No matter where you go
You know you're not alone
I'm only one call away
I'll be there to save the day
Superman got nothing on me
I'm only one call away
Come along with me and don't be scared
I just wanna set you free
Come on, come on, come one
You and me can make it anywhere
For now, we can stay here for a while, ay
'Cause you know, I just wanna see you smile
No matter where you go
You know you're not alone
I'm only one call away
I'll be there to save the day
Superman got nothing on me
I'm only one call away
And when you're weak I'll be strong
I'm gonna keep holding on
Now don't you worry, it won't be long, Darling
And when you feel like hope is gone
Just run into my arms
I'm only one call away
I'll be there to save the day
Superman got nothing on me
I'm only one, I'm only one call away
I'll be there to save the day
Superman got nothing on me
I'm only one call away
I'm only one call away


Songwriters: MAUREEN MCDONALD, SHY CARTER, JUSTIN FRANKS, BREYON PRESCOTT, MATT PRIME, CHARLIE PUTH
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

A Supernatural Change

If you have at any time prayed this prayer in faith believing, and have sorrow for your sins, you are born again. A lot occurs during this time, instantaneously! Other things follow in the days, months and years ahead as Christ desires a relationship with us. Perhaps we will blog about that another time. A supernatural change happens to a soul at the time the sinners prayer is prayed. We are changed from death to life, according to John 5:24. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Here are a few more things that happen when a person becomes a Christian.

Adoption: Ephesians 1:5-6, “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Redemption: Ephesians 1:7a, “In him we have redemption through his blood.”

Forgiveness: Ephesians 1:7b, “the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Become a child of God: John 1:12 “ But to all who receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Name written in the Lamb's book of life: Luke 10:20b “rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Revelation 21:27b “only those whose name are written in the Lamb's book of life” will enter heaven.

New Creation: II Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed way; behold the new has come.”

Reconciled to God: II Corinthians 5:18, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation . . .not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”

Become the righteousness of God: II Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Cleansed: I John 1:7, “If we walk in the Light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Born Again: John 3:3, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Verse 4 says, “Unless one is born of water (physical birth) and the Spirit (spiritual birth), he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

When I first thought of this topic, I was thinking of maybe five major points to ponder. As you can see, I ended up with ten. But I also found another writer who came up with 38! You can find it here, 38 Things that Happen when We get Saved, by Dr. Rob Ream.

Thinking back to when I was saved at the age of 16, I remember feeling the weight of sin lifted. And as a teenager struggling with not feeling loved and accepted, I finally realized that Someone loved me enough to die for me! John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” I have heard many people testify that an empty void was filled. You can read a blog I wrote about Jesus living in your heart here.

As a Christian we have the power within us to live a life pleasing to God, a life of victory and not defeat. We will not be perfect until we reach heaven but we don't have to live a defeated life. Ephesians 3:14-21, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

If you have not yet prayed the sinner's prayer, I would encourage you to do it today. Jesus is waiting for you to come to Him.

II Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

I Corinthians 16:23, “Our Master Jesus has his arms wide open for you.” -The Message