Necessity of a Hat and Helmet

        My sister and brother-in-law planned to come fix the lawn mower and four-wheeler. Mother wanted to prepare a roast to delight my brother-in-law’s palate. I headed to the old freezer to retrieve the much-desired roast and grabbed a bag of broccoli, too. With my hands full, I exited the freezer room. As I pulled the stubborn door closed, I was hit by something above my eye that immediately began hurting. As I made my way across the lawn, I held the bag of frozen broccoli to my eye.

Eye Swollen from Bite

          Upon setting down the frozen items on the counter, I notified Mother of the bite. That side of my face began to throb like a headache. I applied a Benadryl gel for bites and stings. The discomfort lessened. The next day, my brother-in-law diagnosed it as a “gnat bite” with the advice to keep taking my daily allergy medicine. On Sunday, my friend, Vonda Goad, pronounced it a “buffalo gnat bite” sympathizing with me since she had the same type of bite.

          I heard myself say several times, “I wouldn’t have gotten bitten if I had been wearing my hat.” The updated sunbonnet that I wear would have protected me from the bite.

Posing in my 21st Century Sunbonnet on my 
2021 Birthday

          Reflecting upon the importance of wearing my hat, I recalled the passage in Ephesians 6 when the Apostle Paul described the armor of God. I focused on the helmet of salvation. Jesus bought salvation through His sacrificial death on the cross. 

           Thoughts and influences of Satan’s kingdom of darkness bombard the unprotected mind. A person’s own sinful inclinations are influenced by a constant barrage of the world’s every-changing standards and false ideologies.  Yet how wonderful when a transformation begins upon the person receiving Jesus. The helmet of salvation initiates immediately the renewal of the mind of the new believer and warding off the salvo of Satan.

          The Grace to You website delineates two specific ways the enemy of God attacks the minds of believers with discouragement and doubt. Since John 3:16 promises everlasting life to whomever believes in God’s Son, Jesus, we cannot lose our salvation, but discouragement and doubt can render us ineffective in serving Him and showing His love to others.

          The function of the helmet of salvation is heightened by the Word of God or Sword of the Spirit, the only offensive weapon in battling the Wicked One. Maintaining an attitude of prayer endows the believer with strength and power for boldly sharing Jesus with others.

          The command from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in Ephesians 6:17-19 remains essential to our growth–

Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God;

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints –

And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

Same Name, Same Commitment

Mamie Irene Tripp Gates and Patricia Irene Mastagni Friedman

August 16  marked the 121^st birthday of Mamie Irene Tripp Gates, my paternal grandma. On August 12, her granddaughter and namesake, Patricia Irene Mastagni Friedman passed away. Patsy, as our family often referred to her, battled multiple myeloma for over half a decade. She did so with a quiet grace.

Only the morning after Patsy’s death did I notice she and Grandma shared the same middle name. Their middle name “Irene” means “peace.” I remember speaking with Patsy around the time she began undergoing treatments. She explained she felt a peace about beginning the rigorous ordeal of fighting cancer. As I compared Patsy and Grandma, I recalled meeting Grandma’s beloved Dr. Lauvetz over two decades after her death. He had successfully treated her for many years. When he found out I was her granddaughter, he exclaimed, “She was the salt of the earth!” Much like Patsy, Grandma faced the treatments with a resolute peace. Ironically, they both exuded “peace” during the trying times of their treatments, just as their middle names depicted.

I “inherited” many of Grandma’s photos that were “unchosen” after her death. I categorized them in envelopes labeled with the names of my father’s siblings. I pulled out the envelope with Aunt Martha’s name on the front. There was a touching photo of Grandma and Patsy on her wedding day.

Grandma and Patsy on her wedding day. They were
good wives, mothers,  grandmothers, and carried 
themselves with an understated poise.

Not only did Grandma and Patsy share the same middle name, but they both remained firm in their commitment to marriage. The marriage of Grandma and Grandpa lasted 54 years until his death. Patsy stayed true and loving to Gary, her husband of 51 years, until her own death just days ago.

Grandma and Patsy dearly loved their children and grandchildren. Grandma worked with Grandpa as they provided for their large family during one of the most difficult economical and adverse climate situations ever to plague Oklahoma.  In one of our phone conversations, Patsy was thrilled to feel strong enough, amid her treatments, to care for her two youngest grandchildren.

These two precious women lived day by day the verse from the Apostle Paul’s letter to Titus, the young pastor, teaching the new followers of Jesus on the island of Crete. Titus 2, verse 5 stated, That they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children. The next verse ends with “…so that no one will malign the word of God.”

Oh that more and more people in our society realize the eternal value of marital commitment and the necessity of rearing children peacefully with love and consistency! Just as Grandma and Patsy honored their shared name, every one of us must “live up to our names” – if we call ourselves “Christians” or “little Christs.” Never should our inconsistent obedience dishonor God’s Word. Instead, may all who observe us know we serve the Lord by our actions and words.

Trust That Lasts 'Til the End

           Several deaths occurred this week -  former students, precious loved ones, and people beloved by those dear to me. Even though I thought I had a blog post ready to publish, I woke up this Saturday with other thoughts.

Hearing of a death always reminds me of the necessity for all of us to prepare for this inevitable event. Death is called the last enemy. The Apostle Paul reached all the way back to Adam when he penned these words in Romans 5:12 …Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. The fact of our sinful state must be faced by all humans desiring to prepare for the unavoidable, their own death.

Paul continued in this vein of thought throughout chapter 5. In verse 19, the glimmer of hope began to shine when he wrote, For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

The pinnacle of the chapter climaxed with its last verse, Romans 5: 21. Paul reveals the only hope is Jesus Christ our Lord with this verse, …As sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Himself clarified that the road to heaven is only through Him – not doing good deeds, not practicing morality, not doing rituals, not an ideology or religion nor any other way. John 14: 6 recorded Jesus’ answer to the question posed by Thomas concerning the way to heaven, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Paul explained about salvation in Romans 10:9-10 when he wrote, …If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Being prepared for death involves a belief and trust that demands total commitment of oneself. I close with this vivid illustration of what that looks like. I lifted this account from a previous blog post called Death, the Unwanted Invader        (https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2017/02/death-unwanted-invader.html ).

 A French aerilist named Charles Blondin staged a frenzy-stirring performance over Niagara Falls in the era just before the American Civil War. It would be over 1,000-foot trip at 160 feet above the raging waters of Niagara Falls. It involved Blondin and a wheelbarrow.

But the illustration from Blondin’s other feats that amazed me most was this photograph I located on the Smithsonian Magazine site! It showed Blondin carrying Harry Colcord, his manager. In the article written for the online magazine by Karen Abbott on October 18, 2011, she quoted Blondin’s advice to Colcord for safe passage:m

Look up, Harry… you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin.

Until I clear this place be a part of me, mind, body, and soul.

If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-daredevil-of-niagara-falls-110492884/#W6Ho3F25UFCWIXdZ.99

Blondin Carrying Colcord - accessed from smithsonianmag.com

This mirrors how genuine trust in Jesus looks! I become one with Jesus as I love and trust Him with my mind, body, and soul. As I allow Jesus to carry me, remaining unified with Him, on the “tightrope” through this world, over its treacheries, I can successfully traverse this life, arriving safely at the end. Trusting Jesus is our only hope in life and death.

My Mother and the Olympics of 2021

                 Mother and I enjoyed viewing some of the summer Olympic events from Tokyo. She preferred the track events but discovered she could get interested in other events, such as swimming, because of the competitive nature of them.

Several entries in Mother’s vintage black diary during the spring of 1937 focus on her track races. At age twelve, she attended Belford Grade School in the west Bend. The sixth grader penciled onto the now yellowed pages “Ran races” early in the spring. As the season progressed, she scribbled, “Ran races. Won the 100-yard race.” One of the next entries had these words, “Ran races. Won both 50 yard and 100 yard.”

She wrote about winning relays. She always ran the anchor leg of the relay. Mother, as a sixth grader, noted winning relays, but the highlight of her April 20, 1937 entry, was outrunning Harry Elzie Myers in the 100. She and Harry Elzie shared first cousins, Leo and Johnnie Rainey, both of whom were older than she and Harry Elzie. Harry Elzie’s mother, Myrtle Bierman Myers was a sister to Mother’s Aunt Pearl Bierman Rainey. I think she was pleased to outrun a boy! Girls rarely had the opportunity for friendly competition with boys.

 Mother inherited her running giftedness from her father, Calvin Callcayah Smith, who was heralded as an outstanding baseball player. Anytime we talk of Grandpa’s running, she chuckles as she tells of Grandpa, later in life, being forced to outrun an ill-tempered cow--successfully doing so each time.

 Bernyce Smith, my
mother when
attending Belford
 Grade School

Whether running races, playing softball, running and dribbling a basketball, or even chasing and catching animals in the wild, Mother loved to run. During the early 1950s, Dad and she served as adult leaders of the Masham Baptist youth group. Many of their outdoor activities involved running. Just recently, she stated, “Before you were born, during games, I could outrun even the high school boys!”

I did not inherit or try to develop the running capabilities from Mother nor even good eye/hand coordination. I am ashamed to admit I hit Mother in the head with a softball! Years ago, I had forced myself to play catch with Angie in the backyard since Mother was busy; but unfortunately, Mother came outside and began to cross the lawn. Although she was quite a distance from us, she thought to herself about my unpredictable throwing arm, surely she won’t hit me. I was appalled that I did, but was so thankful she was not injured.

Due to my poorly developed physical skills, I admire those who have honed their natural talents with arduous training. As I watched  the last two weeks, I remembered Paul’s words in I Timothy 4:8, For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

No one can witness events from the Summer Olympics 2021 and fail to recognize the enormous benefit of physical training, bodily exercise. We know from Paul’s writings as he referenced events from the ancient games, he understood the value of physical training. Yet Paul said in comparing bodily exercise and godliness, that bodily exercise is of minimal profitability. This reveals to us the overwhelming benefit of training in godliness. May we heed the words of the Apostle Paul and commit ourselves to training in godliness – Bible reading, prayer, meditation on what we read, and obedience to the principles we gleaned from our reading. We can be assured our lives will be abundantly enriched by our spiritual training.

In this blog post, the adeptness of my mother and my grandfather at running is discussed: https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2017/03/tobacco-tents-and-thieving-in-thirties.html

Remembering Steve Gates on His 70th Birthday

This week would have marked the 70th birthday of Steven Glenn Gates on August 3. Steve was larger than life in his living and his love for his family. That twinkle in his eye, as well as his million-dollar grin, and booming voice were classic Steve Gates qualities. Anyone who knew him very well was quite aware that the first time he met Barbara Jean Clark she had his heart lock, stock and barrel. Prior to Steve’s death, Barbara and I collaborated on the article below. It was originally published in Mature Living in March of 2010.

School  Photo of Steve taken
during his days at Liberty 
Elementary School in Ponca 
City, Okalahoma. from the
collection of Bernyce Gates.

THE HEARING AID WITH A TOOTH MARK

By Barbara Clark Gates as told to Bernadean Gates

We had endured some trying years. My husband, Steve, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the fall of 2003. He had recuperated rapidly and responded to the therapy, for which we gave God the glory.

Then, in February 2004, our oldest son, Clark, was killed in a car wreck. God sustained us during that crushing time through the prayers of our church family and friends. Steve and I were especially strengthened by people who had also experienced the death of a child. These parents empathized with our grief-stricken state and understood the dark path we were suddenly treading.

Steve and Clark while the family lived in 
Missouri. from the photograph collection of 
Benyce Gates..

In 2007, during a routine check-up, we learned that Steve’s tumor was aggressively growing, and surgery was strongly recommended. We faced the same medical progression of just a few years earlier. This time the surgery was followed by six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Every day after work, we made the 90-minute drive into Tulsa, Oklahoma, for Steve’s treatments.

One of the most annoying side effects was the deterioration in Steve’s hearing. Steve had worn a hearing aid for many years, but now, even with his device, he could not hear his grandchildren or engage in meaningful conversation. How stifling this was for my gregarious husband who loved nothing better than a lively conversation! I arranged for Steve to be evaluated to find some type of hearing aid to assist his debilitated hearing. I was elated to discover the clinic had a loaner Steve could try before we spent nearly $3,000 for the new aid.

One day I arrived home from work to learn Steve had lost the loaner hearing aid while working in the pasture. Isn’t this the proverbial needle in a haystack? I mused to myself. Inwardly, I bemoaned the cost of replacing the lost loaner as well as paying for the new one we ordered. I went to God in prayer, seeking His miraculous intervention in a seemingly, hopeless situation.

The following Sunday, our daughter, Joni, and her two daughters pulled into our driveway after attending church. As she approached our rural home, she heard an unusual sound. She questioned me about the source of that strange noise, saying optimistically. “It could be Dad’s hearing aid.”

I replied that it was probably a locust. I was unwilling to allow any hope of locating the hearing aid to be raised, only to be dashed by the stark reality of the unlikelihood of finding something so small in our spacious yard. After all, why would it be out on the lawn when Steve had lost it in the pasture? I thought. Haven’t we diligently combed over the property already?

Nevertheless, I stopped to listen and immediately recognized the unmistakable sound I had heard so often – the squeal of a hearing aid turned to a high volume.

Joni and I began a humorous version of “Marco Polo” in a collaborative effort to locate what we could only dare to hope was the lost hearing aid. To our astonishment, there in the front yard, almost in one of my flower beds, was the loaner hearing aid with very little damage other than a dog’s tooth mark. What were the chances that our black Labrador retriever would turn on the hearing aid and carry it from the pasture to our front yard so it could be easily heard and found?

Joni turned to my 3-year-old granddaughter and said, “Tell Nana about your lesson in children’s church.”

Pretty, little Mattie glibly piped up, gazing into my eyes, “Nana, pray, pray, pray!”

I gave God all the glory for miraculously using our gentle family dog to solve a demoralizing problem in our already stressed lives.

God challenges His people in Philippians 4:6-8 “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Often if families are attentive and open, God instructs several generations in His ways just as He did that Sunday for Joni, Mattie, and me. Those God-engineered experiences provide faith-building moments that endure throughout family members’ lives, reaping eternal rewards.

Barbara Clark Gates Clovis, Mattie Jean Murphy, and Joni Jean Gates Murphy
standing on the exact spot where the hearing aid was found. Mattie is now a
17-year-old senior who remains active in the church youth group. Joni serves in
our church, specifically leading the craft department each of the five nights of VBS
this summer. Barbara and Rick, who she married in 2016, lead the large youth 
group of our small rural church. (from the photo collection of Barbara Clovis)