Thanksgiving Celebrations Decades Ago*

         This week of Thanksgiving finds several families whom I love walking the road of sorrow with hearts so heavy with grief. No words can ease the searing pain of the crushing loss of a cherished loved one. Yet God grants us the precious gift of memory. The psalmist penned "For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever" (Psalm 112:6). Paul explained how we become righteous in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For our sake He made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."  As we affirm our trust in Jesus, may we also hold those we love a little closer during these seasons of family gatherings and celebrations.

                My sister and I were blessed as children to celebrate many holidays with both sides of our family. My maternal grandparents lived with us. My father's parents lived west of our farm just a few miles.

                We enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas lunches usually with my paternal grandparents who lived only a few miles from our farm home. Their tiny house bulged with my extended Gates family members. Before my family arrived for lunch, the hunters in the Gates family had already been out for many hours. Often cousins matched up against each other for a fun game of football or outdoor activity to work off all the turkey, dressing, and outrageously high-caloric desserts. Professional football games blared from Grandma’s small television with over a half-dozen pairs of eyes trained on the tiny screen. The family storytelling appealed to me most. After several hours of mesmerized listening to stories I’d heard many times, sprinkled with frequent chuckles, my family said our good-byes and traveled east a few miles to Aunt Daisy’s home.

Daisy Rainey Rice with Wanda Rice Nix, her
oldest granddaughter.

Great-aunt Daisy Rainey Rice was the oldest sister of my grandma. We enjoyed the evening meal at Aunt Daisy’s home with my maternal grandparents. Since my mother was an only child, her parents celebrated the entire day with Aunt Daisy’s family. 

Many of Aunt Daisy’s children, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were there. The farmhouse shook with the spirited conversation and cheerful laughter.

Bernadean Gates, Ruby Martin Rice, Vickie Rice
Cabell, and Dean Rice Littlestar

Aunt Daisy’s son, Elmer Rice, and my grandfather, Calvin, instigated a lively discussion of politics whether it was an election year or not. As one can imagine, the two of them agreed on most issues.

Wanda Rice Nix, Calvin Callcayah Smith, my maternal grandfather, Virgil Rice,
the youngest son of Daisy Rainey Rice, and Edmund Gates, Jr., my father.

Recently, a relative reminded me that she received a warning that my grandma, Gladys, was coming. Grandma engaged a person in a religious discussion; actually, she required an accounting of how the person’s relationship with Jesus was. As a result, relatives sometimes “dodged” her. Only later after having entered into a vibrant relationship with the Lord, the same relatives were some of Grandma’s biggest fans.

Maxine Hines Rice, Gladys Rainey Smith, my 
maternal grandma, and Helen Foust Rice.

I never recall sitting at a proper table at either of these family celebrations. I dined at the kids’ table for many years. As I aged, I ended up sitting occasionally at a TV tray. Neither home had Thanksgiving-themed stoneware or china, sterling silver serving trays, or beautifully cut crystal glassware. I never remember coordinated cloth tablecloths and napkins.  The aroma ambiance of these older farmhouses derived not from the latest potpourri or candles, but mouth-watering baking scents wafting through the rooms of both homes. 

Hazel Rice Goad Guthrie, Yvonne Goad Kelly, and
Robert "Bob" Rice.

The Thanksgiving celebrations centered on intangibles such as collective thankfulness for a strong family held together by an unbreakable bond forged by common ancestry and resilient love. They knew a family could never allow the peripheral – food, tableware, activities, or even conversation topics– to interfere with the solid relationships unique only to that particular family.  

Tom Cabell recalled meeting "Grandma Rice."
Her granddaughter, Vickie, introduced them and
Daisy asked Tom if he worked. He responded,
"Yes, I do." She then asked, "Do you farm?" to
which he answered, "No." Her reply was, "You
don't work." It takes a tough skin to get into
some families!

God has richly blessed the Gates, Rainey, and Rice families. May we make deliberate choices to interact daily with love for our families on earth and so mirror the love in the family of God.  The Apostle Peter instructed in I Peter 4:8 from The Message:

  Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.

*This blog posting first appeared six years ago on November 22, 2015.

Seeing Red

                 Upon returning from walking to check the cattle a few weeks ago, I saw red! I glimpsed brilliant red colors peeking from a secluded spot nestled in a thicket. Pausing, I deviated from my path for a closer view of the vivid red objects. Upon more focused inspection, I discovered a Virginia Creeper vine tinted by the autumnal temperature variations. What a profusion of vibrant scarlet in nature for anyone to see!

The pretty red leaves of the Virginia
Creeper

                My mind recalled God’s promise to the Israelite slaves prior to God granting them release from the pharaoh’s cruel task masters. God succinctly gave a cause-and-effect couplet with life-altering consequences. He told Moses and the whole Israeli nation in bondage, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

                The final plague, the death angel, would be sent. Every home with blood placed on the outer doorposts, visible from outside, would be “passed over” by the death angel, sparing the life of the first-born child in the home. Compliance with the directive lay with each family.

                All over the land of Goshen, Israelite families carried out the ceremonial sacrifice of the lamb. The blood was applied to the doorposts of the homes in faith that the death angel would see the blood and preserve the life of the oldest child in each dwelling. All through Goshen, the death angel saw red. No death occurred in Goshen.

                John the Baptist announced Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The Jewish hearers immediately drew the connection between the Passover lamb and John’s identification of Jesus.

                Following the death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus, for Jewish followers, the linking of the yearly ceremonial meal of Passover and the blood Jesus shed made perfect their understanding. Many of the New Testament writers drew on this annual observance and its fulfillment in Jesus’ atonement for all who receive Him.

                Paul writes of the blood of Jesus in Ephesians 2:12-13, “At that time you were without Christ...having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” All humans found themselves without God, but the relationship longed for is bought by Jesus’ blood.

                In Colossians 1:13-14, the Apostle Paul pens, ‘He (God) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” These powerful words illustrate the transformation from darkness into the kingdom of His love, made possible through His blood.

                John records what he was allowed to see in The Revelation of Jesus Christ. John hears the new song with these words of praise to Jesus for the blood He shed. What inclusivity is sung about in this song heard around the throne in heaven!

…For You were slain,

And have redeemed us to God by Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation…

(Revelation 5:9)

The precious blood of Jesus made possible our relationship with God as our father and that same sacrificial  blood transformed our lives. With every opportunity, may we share the inclusivity His blood provides – redeemed ones from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Reading Scriptures confirm the cleansing power of our salvation is in the blood of Jesus. Singing of the deliverance of the blood of Jesus strengthens our faith. As we approach Thanksgiving, may we express heartfelt thanks for the Blood of Jesus – not just this season, but every day of the year.

This is the link to a relatively new song entitled Thank You for the Blood Jesus performed by the Clark Family   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeaTs_VUBR4

Hidden Pictures in Nature and Life

                I wasn’t the most diligent student, especially in math. If reading a book, nothing could distract me, but math attentiveness was lacking when working the assigned problems. If the heater doors hadn’t been replaced in the Ralston School building, I could still identify “pictures” in the grain of the wooden door. I remember one hidden image was a Beatles haircut! (Dad always said, “The mind is a funny thing.”).

                A month or so back when working outside, I looked at the stump of an old black locust tree. Reverting to my old pastime in math, I spotted a hidden animal in the stump. See if you can locate the animal in the stump in the photo below.

The "armadillo snout" that I saw is located
in the upper right quadrant of the photo.*

              As I used the string trimmer at the base of the stump, I stepped back several times. I finally decided I saw an armadillo poking its snout out. My old ways from elementary school in Mr. Welker’s math class had returned.

A closer look at the part of the old stump that
looked like an armadillo snout to me.**

                When teaching, the third graders relished anytime I gave them a hidden picture puzzle. Making sure I experienced the thought processes needed to recognize the hidden items, I always did the puzzle “cold” myself.  I reminded myself I had to see the picture beyond the obvious, looking for the items “disguised” as something else.

                Jesus warned His followers of the disguise of false teachers. He compared them to ravenous wolves enshrouded as innocent sheep as recorded in Matthew 7:15. In Paul's farewell message to the believers at Ephesus, he noted the catastrophic results of those predators of the church in Acts 20:29, “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”

                One of the worst deceptive disguises was depicted by Paul in his second letter to the Corinthian church, in the eleventh chapter, verse 14: For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. What a myriad of ruses are perpetrated on naïve sheep by the Deceiver who Jesus described as a thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  

                May we never forget the many disguises of Satan. He uses many methods but veils most in light until he has stolen, destroyed, and killed any longing a person has for the plan God desired for that person. We warn others of the wicked one who shrouds himself in light, and remember, as believers, we must be alert to the devil’s stealthily concealed traps.

                As those who have experienced a relationship with Christ the Lord, let’s share the wonderful truth of the loving, forgiving, and restorative Jesus, the True Light of the World. The Apostle Paul described Him in Colossians 2:2-3, …Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Embrace this prayer of David from Psalm 27:8 

When You said, “Seek My face,”

My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

**In this closeup, I outlined
 the snout and eye.

*I outlined the armadillo snout.

Baldwin's Iron Weed and Buckeye Butterflies

             In early October, I spotted several Baldwin’s iron weeds blooming profusely. The stunningly, gorgeous purple explosions of color topped the vibrant green plants. During my return walk from checking cattle, I paused momentarily to snap a photo or two. My closer look revealed the weeds’ flowers teeming with buckeye butterflies.

At least four butterflies are shown feeding on the iron weeds in the pasture.

As I walked to the house from the pasture, I thought I think I took about seven shots. Those buckeye butterflies were so intent on feeding on the nectar of the iron weed plants.

My mind reflected on the previous Sunday in our Sunday School class. Even though the class is called the Women’s Class, most know it is for vintage women to study God’s Word (I refuse to dub it the “old women’s class.”). That morning, we had six women ranging from quite young - 20ish to vivaciously vintage. Each woman had her Bible opened, participating with reading, and commenting on the scripture’s direct relevance to her. We were as intent as those moths in our intake of God’s Word.

We study the Bible like this each week. I stopped and thought We’re in good company! These two verses popped into my mind. The first verse concerned Jesus and his practices and the second one described the Apostle Paul. In Luke 4:16, it is recorded, “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was. He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.” Luke, also the writer of The Acts of the Apostles, recorded in Acts 17:2-3 historical documentation of Paul’s habits with these words, “Then Paul entered the synagogue as his custom was, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and pointing out [scriptural evidence] that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise from the dead and saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I am proclaiming to you, is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).’”

                The Son of God, perfect in every way, God-incarnate found regular study of the scripture with others an essential part of His week. Luke, inspired by the Holy Spirit, gave us a glimpse into the weekly worship of Paul as he reasoned and explained the scriptures to Jewish citizens of Thessalonica.

                A good Bible study group reasons, explains, and most of all, points out [scriptural evidence]. A godly group of students of the Biblical text searches and compares scripture with scripture when studying the Bible. This strategy of study is illustrated innumerable times in God’s Word  Frequently, we see in scripture Have you not heard? or Have you not read? which are examples of using scripture to interpret scripture. May we never fall back on our opinions or experiences if they fly in the face of God's Holy Word.

                 Jeremiah said in the book bearing his name, chapter 15, verse 16:

Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of Host.

 Like Jeremiah and the buckeye butterflies, may we feed on what nourishes us most.

The beautiful wing pattern of the buckeye butterfly.