A Prudent Wife

[caption id="attachment_736" align="alignnone" width="300"] One Such Effort at Being a Prudent Wife - Christmas Covering for Bed[/caption]

It Is Written

Proverbs says, "A prudent wife is from the Lord." As a woman and wife and mother, that is something that I have always aspired to be. But my desire to be prudent did not start when I became an adult and wife and mother. Way back when I was a little girl, I heard a Bible verse read in Sunday school and it has stayed with me since. The verse was James 1:5 which says:

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

A Gift

Began from that moment to beseech the Lord for wisdom and He answered me. Though I did not know it at the time, I was to use that wisdom in all lives that I touched. I, at times, astounded my teachers, my mother, other adult family members and even myself. Most of the folk back then thought that I was "smart." That was the term for a child that studied hard in school and made good grades. Made fairly good grades, but I did not study. Did not have to. If I heard or read something once, it just stayed with me.

But, sometimes I would come up with some profound thing that made my mother do a double-take. Ha, ha, when I became an adult, my mother and I laughed about some of the things that I came up with as a child. She told me that when I looked at her and bucked my eyes, she did not know what was going to come out of my mouth. Some of the old folks said that I was an "old soul." What they meant, I don't know and I was too afraid of getting into trouble to ask when I was a child. And those folks are gone now. But, I think that it meant that I had some wisdom.

Why Talk About It Now?

Now, why am I mentioning all of that to you this morning? I am mentioning it so that you will know that God answers prayer. And to show you that you can ask for wisdom, too. When you get your wisdom, be sure to use it for His glory. Husbands, dads, granddads, uncles, etc. you can likewise use your gifts to show love to a child or another in need. Guidance is always needed by children and everyone benefits from kindness.

Not Just In My Writing

People have asked me from time to time, how I come up with the things that I write. I tell them, "It is not me, but the glory of my Father shining through me." To sum up what I am saying this morning:

Maybe you have been given the gift of being good at something. Then, use it for the glory of God and for the instruction of others, especially children. Use the gift that you have been given in whatever way that you can. If you can do a thing well, then donate some of the profits or time to a charity, children, etc. You could find a child that you want to help and become an anonymous donor to his or her schooling. Notebook paper, pencils, coats, socks, shoes, birthday presents, etc. are all things that children need. or you could help someone anonymously on their utility bill during the winter months. I know that I certainly would have appreciated it if that had been done for us when I was a child. But, then I would not have the charcoal bucket memories. (See "W.O.W. created w.o.w.," pp.  34-39)

Now you know why I do what I can while I can and am trying to leave no stone unturned in the process. I am trying to help my fellowman in love because the Lord loved me first. He loved me enough that He is preparing a place for me and is coming back for me.

One Day

One day, one day, I will get

To walk those streets of glory

But until then I will walk this

Land and tell my story.

For Me?

I Can't Believe It!

Life has afforded me some great joys at times. There have been moments when I have exclaimed, "For me?" Such an exclamation usually means that the recipient of a certain action or gift cannot believe that the gift is actually theirs. A reaction such as the one mentioned above means that the recipient was not accustomed to having things of that magnitude happen to them or for them. At least, that is what it meant in my case.

If Only I Had Known

Nevertheless, I wanted to take a different slant on "For Me " this morning.  Have you ever looked back in your life and thought, "If only..."? I'm am sure that most of us have, but, I finally came to the realization that if it were meant to be, it would be. When you come to that realization, you don't have to go through life kicking yourself by saying, "If only I had just done this or if only I had not done that."

Easy Enough

Most games are easy to play if you know the rules of the game.  If you have watched children play at any time, you probably have heard them say things like, "No fair. you didn't say that when you told us the rules." And you might have heard another one exclaim, "It's my ball and I can make any rule I want to." Such is the life of children.

But what about when you take a scenario out of adult life. Let's say that there are several people vying to get a certain job and the competition is fierce. They are all lined up for the final, determining interview and all are nervous. All of them are dressed in their best clothes except one (the one with the loud green hat or baseball cap). Each one has a new haircut or a new hairdo, except that same one from the sentence above.

Now you know how people will tend to do when they are vying for a certain position. I imagine the people in the interview process would all be doing pretty much the same thing. They would be looking the competition over in their minds and doing a mental elimination of the ones that they thought they could beat. And, nine times out of ten, most of them would have counted out the one with the loud green hat or baseball cap who looked a bit too casual and unkempt.

Wasn't Meant to Be

There is nothing that you can do to your life that can thwart the plans that God has for you. I said this about a year ago in a previous blog and felt the need to say it again. You have to learn what I had to learn in life, "To make the most out of your situation" and to keep stepping. Sometimes it might seem that you are stepping to no avail, but you keep stepping anyway.

Whatever, and I do mean whatever, happens in your life, it cannot supersede the plans of Jesus. When you walk in that kind of faith you will be saying, "What Jesus has decreed for me is for me and no amount of machinations can make it be any other way."

Joseph's brothers thought that they could cut him out of something that was meant for him. Didn't happen. Herod sought to kill Jesus, didn't happen. What am I saying? Just this, stop worrying about what you might have missed because of this situation or that situation and keep walking by faith. When and if it is your time, it will happen for you.

In Conclusion

One thing about it, as surely as we live and breathe, if we remain faithful we will hear these words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joys of the Lord." Then, friend, you can say, "Aah-h-h, for me...for me."

Note: The one in the green hat from the interview process above? Oh, it was already fixed. All He had to do was show up.

High on Faith

How?

You know those times that you have joy in your heart and a spring in your step when it seems that you don't have anything to be joyous about? Referring to the times that you almost want to skip, but it seems that you don't have anything to skip about... It might seem that way to the world, but you know that you have a story to tell. And because of that story, you can smile in the face of adversity and cause your friends and enemies alike to scratch their heads in bafflement.

Written for Our Learning

As mentioned above, all of us have enemies, don't we? But we surround ourselves with family and friends, make the best out of situations, and prayerfully continue to work for the Lord. I have learned not to be overly concerned with my enemies because I am reminded of verse 17 in 2 Kings, chapter 6.

It seems that Elisha had angered the king of Aram because he had warned the king of Israel more than once or twice about an impending attack on the king. The king of Aram had become so enraged that he demanded to know who the spy was in his own camp. But his people told him, "Not so, my king. It is that prophet of Israel who is telling the king of Israel all that you plan against his person." Then the king of Aram sent many chariots, horses and a great army to take Elisha.

Oh, Lord, Oh, Lord!

It seems that Elisha's servant became upset and fearful when he awoke the next morning and saw the army of Aram that had amassed in the night. He knew that the army was there to take Elisha. But Elisha was not bothered in the least for he stayed in prayerful contact with God. When Elisha saw that his servant was fearful, he told him not to worry about it, so to speak. He told him that there were more on their side than there was of the enemy.

Elisha servant must have still looked doubtful or fearful because Elisha took pity on him and said these words in prayer:

O, Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.' And the Lord opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

What to Do

Elisha knew that the king had sent an army through the night before the servant did, apparently. But, Elisha did not panic, instead,  he prayed. He did what we all should do in tough times. If we get into the practice of praying to God through all types of situations, then by faith, we know to turn to Him when the enemy amasses an army against us.

We can be so confident of God's help that we can display a carefree attitude in the face of adversity. Yes, as I said in the first paragraph, we can be joyous to the extent that our friends and family wonder about us, probably like Elisha's servant did about him.

Knowing Who his Battleaxe was, Elisha walked with assurance because He was high on faith. He knew that no matter how hard he was hit, he had a secret Weapon. The presence of the Lord's army gives us the strength to carry on His work as we walk by faith. As long as you are God's faithful child, know that you never walk nor fight alone. Hold on to His unchanging hand.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Jones

The Right Persuasion

[caption id="attachment_725" align="alignnone" width="149"] Persuasion[/caption]

Oo-wee, I Want

Have you ever wanted something so badly and wanted it and wanted it until you told a few of your associates about this thing that you wanted? (screened-in porch, sunroom, house with a basement game room, a particular shade and style of sofa that you saw down at the local furniture mart, etc.) And you discover that the very thing that you said you wanted, one or several of your associates had gone out and gotten that very thing. It might have been a situation where some of the ones who had gone out and gotten the very thing they had ridiculed you about when you told them that you wanted it.  Of course, when they did, some of those associates explained half-heartedly or sheepishly that they thought about what you had said and realized that it was a good idea.

Realizing What You Have

Uhm humm, well you know what? If I can talk about a material thing to the extent that it causes someone to want it and to leave no stone unturned to get it, then I must have powers of persuasion. Therefore, I am going to use those powers of persuasion where they can do the most good.

That means that since it is obvious that I have been given the ability to persuade people, that could be an effective ministry. Uhm hmm, you see, if I talk about Jesus enough by talking about how He has brought me through so many situations, it is bound to have an impact on who I am talking to.  Instead of talking about how nice it would be to sit out on the porch in the cool of a summer's evening in a screened in porch with the gentle summer breeze caressing my face as it blows through or how the shade of the sofa was not aqua and was not teal, but was an intricate, almost indescribable hue (the-you'd-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it hue), I could talk about the unparalleled lovingkindness of my Savior.

How So?

The conversation could go something like this.

Have you ever loved someone so much that you would allow someone to pierce you with a poisoned arrow or spear to save them? Would you really do that to save someone? Is there anyone that you love that much? Uhm hmmm, well, how about a perfect stranger? We know that all people are are fellowmen so would you do that to save your fellowman?

Whoever you were talking to would probably be just like most of us and say something like, "No," or "I don't know about that." And that is a natural response.

But that is not what Jesus did. He knew the agony that was going to be His and yet He died for you and me anyway. Knew that sometimes I would be stubborn and would at times commit sin, but He died for me anyway. That had to be some kind of love!

But, He didn't stop there.

He went on back to glory and He and the Father are preparing a place for me in the eternal city where I can be with Him forever. And get this, God says that, "It has not entered into the hearts of man, the joys that the Lord has prepared for those that love Him."Sinner that I am, He loved me that much.

You know, it kind of grabs you right here (hand over heart) and it makes you think, "If He were willing to do all of that for me, I want to go there and see this place and live with Him forever. I mean what's not to want? Want to walk through the city where the streets are like polished gold, foundations are of the finest gems, water flows from a crystall stream and the tree of life is right there in the midst  yielding its fruit forever. I want to go. Oo-wee, I want that!"

What do you think would be the response to a conversation like that?

That's How Badly

That's how badly we ought to use our powers of persuasion because we ought to want an eternal home with Jesus so badly that we talk about it to the extent that somebody wants to go with us. That is the right persuasion.

In My Heart

People often ask me why I sing because they equate singing with being happy. I sing because there is a song in my heart. I'm like the robin, the nightingale and some other songbirds, the song is there, so I sing.

"Sing what and what song?" is what somebody might ask. Good question. The type of song that I sing and the choice of song varies from time to time. Sometimes I sing

• Praise to God for His Being


• Thanksgiving for blessings


• Requests made to Him for self


• Requests made to Him for others


• Thanksgiving for Jesus


• Sing in awe of His handiwork and power


• In short, just sing.

Yeah, but...

Again, singing does not always mean that I am happy. Sometimes it serves me by reminding me Whose child I am. I remember some of those old songs that were sung in the little church where I grew up.

1. If the Lord don't help me...I cain't stand the storm, hm-mm. I can still hear some of those old sisters belt out some of those old songs.


2. Guide me, Oh, Thou Great Jehovah.. pilgrim through this barren land, wuh, uuuh, uh Guide me... The songs are in my heart. They are a repertoire that I can pull from depending on my circumstances.


3. Precious Lord, take my hand...lead me on-n-n, let me, let me sta-and. I, I get so tired and I-I get weak. And sometimes I just break out with, "And I get worn. Oh! Oh! Wuh- u-u-h, through the storms... Woo, hoo through the night! Hold my hand, please suh Jesus..."

The songs above carry me back to my God's throne and there I get sweet consolation. When I finish the song, I may be in tears sometimes, but my soul has often been healed or is being healed with each of the drops that fell/fall.

You understand what I mean, even if you do not know the songs that I just mentioned. But one thing I will remind you of, the songs are in my heart and I use them to carry me where I need to go as I traverse this land on my way back home.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Jones

Mountaintop Blessings

Told the Lord one morning in prayer that I loved Him so much that I would shout it from the tallest mountain.   Thinking that getting high enough to be seen by the masses, in our quest to share news is valid. Therefore, raised podiums for speakers and microphones to have the sound carry more, are used.

I was speaking figuratively in the first line of the paragraph above. But, it is something that I would actually do if I could. Imagine standing with a megahorn proclaiming to all people how faithful, righteous, just and lovingly kind God is. That would be something to see, wouldn't it?

How Tall Is Your Mountain?

Learn to use whatever you have on hand to get the message of love out about the Lord.  If you say it loudly, joyously, and long enough, people will listen.

Right now, the tallest mountain in my world is my blog and my books. That means you, dear reader, are a part of the mountain from which I shout. Now I stand and proclaim to all peoples, across races, creeds, countries, and language barriers the immense love of God. And I stand boldly and proudly.

Tallest Mt.

Standing atop the tallest

Mountain in my world and

Yelling for all to hear

"Jesus is Lord!" and Friend to man.

You Can't Beat Him Giving

I write what I write because it has been placed on my heart to care and encourage.  I told you before that Jeremiah 9:24 says that GOD likes to be bragged on. If I do what HE says and if HE likes what I do, then I will, not only make heaven my eternal home but will have HIS blessings for my good will down here. I just never imagined the height of my mountain nor the magnitude of His blessings.  My heart overflows with gratitude as I sit at the Lord’s table and drink from the cup of the bounty of His blessings.

In conclusion, I want you to imagine standing on a mountaintop and yelling a message out. Have you ever had the occasion to do that? Whatever you yell echoes and reverberates, doesn't it? Uhm hmm, well what about this? Think about how wonderful it would feel if those echoes that reverberated were blessings coming back to you.

• encouraging believers -  lifting up the weary


• non-believers to believe


• angels rejoicing


• building up the future church

Ah-h-h...

Blessings from the mountaintop, it doesn't get any sweeter than that. My Lord and my God, to You, be the glory.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Jones

Count on God

Another Day I arose to see
Thank You, Lord, for blessing me...

Cold came creeping in last night

While I was snug in my bed

And I awoke to a fall chill

But I got up because it was Your will.

I plopped my happy feet on the floor

And I said, "Thank You, Lord, for one day more."

So, as long as You give me breath

I will lift my voice in song and praise

As thanks to You, Lord, I raise.

You told me in Your word that I could always count on You. And You have shown by interceding in my life that I can. That is why I want to tell the world that I know that I can count on You. Tell the world that I am a living witness that when times got dark and chilly for me, You kept me.

So I want to say to you brother and sister

That when things are dark don't despair

Just go down on Your knees in prayer.

Remember that Jesus gave His life for You

And He would not have done that to leave

You all alone with the various problems

That He already knew that you would go through.

Even Though

That means that He knew the sins way beforehand that we would commit. But, in spite of the times that we have let Him down, He has always been, always been faithful. He is still letting us know that we have a God, Who we can count on.

If you have disappointed yourself because you feel that you have let Him down, don't despair. Ask for forgiveness and keep walking for Him. Keep telling the world that you have a God you can count on and let His glory shine through you.

Dark Times

When you have dark times in your life, don't forget that we have a faithful and loving God that we can count on. Therefore, don't you let Him down now by giving up. He sees, He knows, and He cares.  You just keep that hope that is within you and thank Him beforehand for the victory that He will bring you to. And then you tell Him, that even if He doesn't deliver you, you know that He is able. Those words were uttered by the Hebrew boys when confronted by the king and his fiery furnace. And you see the result that they got. Though they got thrown into the fiery furnace, they came out not even smelling like smoke. We have a God that we can count on. So, praise Him, even in dark times because morning's coming, the sun will shine, and the chill will be gone.

I'm Glad I'm His Child

Sometimes I get so filled up with praise that it flies from my heart to my fingertips. The poetry was bursting to come out so much that I had to just intersperse this blog with bits of it. Woo! When you are His child, He will give you gifts to use in glorifying Him in your walk as His witness. So glad, so glad that I am His child for I can count on God. Aren't you glad to be His?

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Jones

You Deserve It

For All

First, because You died for all mankind, even me, I speak from my blog, the pages of my books, and in person about Your faithfulness. You deserve my praise and You deserve my honor, therefore to you and for You, I will raise my voice. Consequently, there is a song that has been ignited within my soul that lionizes Your lovingkindness and faithfulness. Lastly, I am sharing that song with my fellowmen today.

 My Tribute Song

   Oh, Great FATHER of Mine

 

Oh great FATHER of mine

THOU has been wowing mankind

Since the beginning of time.

I’m praising in appreciation with humble submission

Thanking YOU, LORD, that some Of the awe is mine.

(Refrain):  Uhm-m-m FATHER W-O-O-O-W!

I thank YOU I bless YOU LO-O-R-RD, I’m thankful

For the privilege of prayer

Uhm-m-m, I’m thankful W-O-O-O-W

To be a child of THINE!

Being blessed with the privilege of prayer

Along with the rest of mankind

Am so thankful to be acknowledged

As a child of THINE

And I praise YOU

I bless YOU for

Accepting praise from me

Though YOU are divine.

The psalmist wrote in Psalms 65

Of his being inspired and wowed

Way back in Biblical times

But I am humbled and grateful that YOU

Let your glory come shining through

By allowing this “earthen vessel” to be a conduit too!

 

(Refrain): Uhm-m-m FATHER W-O-O-O-W!

I thank YOU I bless YOU LO-O-R-RD, I’m thankful

For the privilege of prayer

Uhm-m-m, I’m thankful W-O-O-O-W

 To be a child of THINE!

 

 

Bless YOU for what has been written

Before my time and placed in the Bible for my learning

It makes me want to keep running on

And for YOU and heaven to keep yearning.

(Refrain):  Uhm-m-m FATHER W-O-O-O-W!

I thank YOU

I bless YOU

LO-O-R-RD, I’m thankful

For the privilege of prayer

Uhm-m-m, I’m thankful, W-O-O-O-W

To be a child of THINE!© excerpt from W.O.W. created w.o.w.

 

Rom. 15:4

 

 

Just as Long

Blessed

People sometimes wonder why I do what I do and have even asked me if I ever get tired. I flip the question and ask, "Do you ever get too tired to receive the blessings that His love required? Therefore, I never get too tired to give back to my fellowman what the knowledge of that love inspired." So, in answer to, perhaps, other unspoken questions, I pen poems such as the one below.

Just as Long

You see me how

I do not know

And it doesn't matter as

On through life, I go.

Just as long

As flowers grow and birds sing

...stepping and stepping

For my King.

Just as long

As the sky is blue and grass is green

Gonna be stepping and stepping

For Jesus, my King.

Till I Lay My Head to Rest

[caption id="attachment_454" align="alignnone" width="300"] Ever onward I Go.[/caption]

Though I walk mile after weary mile
Still, there is within me no guile
For to Him I belong, yes
I am His child
Till I lay my head to rest.

 

There is a melody sweet and low

That by this poet must be rung

Out to the world to say

"To Jesus Christ, I belong"

And because of that I sing my song

Till I lay my head to rest.

Driven by a Fire

There is a fire that burns within me that cannot be quenched. It flows from my fingertips to land in prose and verse across my page. And it drips with honeyed, but compelling words from my lips in speeches and songs. What is this fire that burns me so? It is the fiery desire to tell the world of the love of Jesus, as on my story-telling mission I go.

It is Sunday morning and I am excited about the opportunity to attend worship again. There is a need in me to acknowledge the power of God and restoke my internal fire in doing so. And the telling and restoking will continue till I lay my head to rest.

When God gave us Jesus

He gave us His best

And so, the telling and restoking

Will continue till I lay my head to rest

Till I lay my head to rest...

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Jones

If the Lord...

When Life Gets Hard

Sometimes we have to go through some rough things in life.  They are, either things we bring on ourselves, or things that people cause to happen to us. We can be so beaten down that it is hard to keep the upbeat feeling that we started off with.  Yep, Been there, done that.

But, how do you make it through rough patches in life like the ones mentioned above?

Free Ebook

The quote above is from a free ebook of devotionals that I will be offering to you. One of the offerings in the book is the entire chapter that deals with storms (times when life gets hard) from my fast-selling book," Chopping My Row." It is difficult for me to keep copies of it in my possession, which is a nice problem to have.

I have included devotional excerpts from several of my books in this ebook. To get your free copy just subscribe to my email newsletter which will be published monthly. The ebook will be available before the end of the month as it is being polished by the publisher now.

A Prayer to Sustain You

A prayer for the journey so far:

Thank You, Father, and forgive me when I complain about the storms (rough patches) in my life. I will keep reminding myself of all of the preparations that you have made for me, and I will keep saying, “I don’t believe You brought me this far to leave me.”

 

If the Lord had not been my help..."

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Jones

 

A Smile on My Face

Yes, a Smile

Good morning neighbor. Yes, you see a smile on my face and yes this smile is for you. Don't you know that by sharing this smile, I am helping myself, too? I smile when I think about the love that the Savior has for me. And I smile when I remember the many troubles that He has brought me through. There is a rejoicing that threatens to burst from within because He continues to cover me, though I sin.

Too much or not Enough?

You see, when I think about the love that He has shown me in the shedding of His blood, I know that He is with me in all that life throws my way.

That means:

• There is joy in chance meetings that happen within my day because I wonder what is next in His plan.


• I get joy out of using various opportunities to share His love with my fellowman.


• It may sound a bit strange to you, but I find myself trying to figure out how I can use opportunities to give Him glory by telling my story. Afterall, that is what my life is about.

Caused Him to Smile

Somebody said, "That is all she wants to talk about is God." Uhm hum-m, and when I get to the judgment, do you think I am going to be worried about talking about Him too much and trying to live for Him too much? Nope, I'm not. And anyway, better to talk about Him and His unfailing love for us than to gossip about my fellowman.

So, I Smile

So, if a smile is all that I have to give, it is a gift of love that I give freely. If you receive it, then good for you, and if you don't that's alright, too. I will have made an attempt to play a part in brightening your day and the way that you walk away feeling is not up to me to say.

In conclusion, accept my smile and my

goodwill in the spirit in which it is given

For it is better to give away smiles

Than to be hatred driven.

A "Pollyanna," yes, that would be me

Spreading joy and an infectious smile

For all the world to see

And yes, a "Pollyanna" I would rather be

Than to be known as one who uses words

To inflict needless cruelty.

All Is Never Lost

If the Lord...

Seen some of the best of my times, seen some of the worst of my times, but remembered my God through all of my times. There have been times that I have had to repeat my mantra of living, "If the Lord..." When I do that, I remember that someway, somehow, God will make everything alright. I never let myself give up on Him completely.

When my back is against the wall

And it seems that all I held dear is gone

I remind myself that I am not alone

That the Lord has the power to pick

Me up from my fall

As with faith and hope, Romans 8:28 I  recall.

Through It All

When I thought that I had lost my all, He showed me

My everything in the plans He had made for me

He reminded me that it is with limited vision that I see

And proceeded to show me just that in

The subsequent things that He let be.

"Cain't" Tell It All

The Lord is my Constant.  I cannot tell you all that I would about my Lord, but suffice it to say that I have never lost "all," as long as He has been the head of my life. Cannot tell you all that He has done for me. But I can tell you that He is my Rock of Ages, my Rose of Sharon, My Balm in Gilead.  He is my trailblazer when there seems to be no way out.

In short

He is my all in all

He has heard and will continue

To hear my trembling and feeble calls

And I can stand here and say that

Because He is my Constant

I have never lost my all.

I had not planned to do a poem for you this morning, just a bit of prose, but the Lord deemed otherwise.

Don't Quit 
By Edgar A. Guest (1881-1959)?

When Things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill...
Don't quit.