Influenced by an Experience ...

...Grounded in God's Word

I wrote this in the fall of 2012, after visiting with Janice Funkhouser Goad following the funeral service for Marian Gayle Rice Stoneman. My family was just beginning our journey of caring for Dad following his first stroke. Janice shared the following account with me that day.

This past week I encountered a morning with stressful issues, making me want to throw up my hands, burst into tears, and give up. Janice's story and the Bible verse came to mind. Before I even arrived at the house from the pasture, I had received courage by realizing God was with me and wanted me to be strong in trusting Him.

His Command – Be Strong

Discouragement, frustration, and a feeling of frazzled emotions consumed Janice at that moment.  Recently she had given her life to Jesus, confessing and repenting of her sins, and receiving His wonderful forgiveness. In that way, she began her walk with the Lord.

         Disheartened, aggravated, overwhelmed were words that were describing her life that particular day. Their teenage son’s rebellious attitude was perturbing her. Their two daughters just a few years younger than him were focused on their own needs and self-serving wishes leaving Janice upset at them for not doing their part to make her day a little better. The care for their precious baby daughter was overwhelming as she dealt with these family issues by herself since her husband was calf roping until midnight each evening.
         An internal invitation to engage in a self-pity party arrived at her heart's door that day. After all, anyone would agree with her. Nothing was working in her favor and no one was trying to help.

         Realizing she needed a walk, Janice shoved open the back door angrily. Her feet pounded down a path on their rural property. She knew very little about being a Christian, but she had certainly thought it would be much easier than this.

         Suddenly, as she walked, she sensed God saying to her, Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

         This was one of the verses she was memorizing. Even as a young believer, she knew she should get God’s word in her heart and mind. She was trying to memorize as many verses as she could. The Lord brought Joshua 1:9 to the forefront of her mind.

         At that point, Janice sensed the Lord emphasizing these words in her heart – Have I not commanded thee? Be strong… He was telling her that it was His command, not a suggestion, not a recommendation but a command, a non-negotiable imperative. He was demanding that she be strong. She couldn’t crumple and collapse at these difficulties in her family. God commanded her to be strong and courageous. He didn’t want the fearful thoughts to dominate her time, leading to debilitating discouragement. He promised to be with her no matter where her life journey would lead.
          Janice later reflected on how impacted she felt by the unbelievable power from God's Word. Recalling and applying the verse in Joshua pulled her from despondency and depression that had been initiated by her self pity. That day marked the first time she experienced the power of God's Word intervening in her life. The joy and peace that God's Word brought to her that day would be repeated over and over in her life as she fought self-destructive thoughts with memorized scriptures.

          Little did she know before their only son reached his fortieth birthday, she and her husband would stand by his grave on snow-covered ground with heavy hearts and arms around their three daughters attempting to draw strength and comfort from each other. Their family and friends reached out with sympathetic words and deeds, but only God brought peace and comfort to their minds and hearts.

          One day their youngest daughter, a bride of four years planning with her husband to begin a family, stopped by to visit. Janice was so moved at that moment by how pretty her daughter was and told her just how beautiful she was. Never would she fathom that they would soon be notified of her fatal car accident.* Nothing prepared her and her husband to stand next to her casket and see that youthful face as though she was only sleeping. Amidst Janice’s heart-wrenching grief she could hear the Lord whisper, “As I promised, I am with you. Don’t be afraid because I will be with you wherever you go.”

Sam Goad and Janice Funkhouser, chosen as the "cutest couple" for the RHS
Tiger, the yearbook published in 1965. One day during Dad's stroke convalescence,
I met Sam while in town. His words about some of his trying experiences and
how God led him through them provided much needed encouragement to me
on that very day.

                Frequently people tell us how strong we are. If we appear strong it is because we know God has been and will continue to be with us. We know no matter where the path of our lives leads us, God is with us. We can be strong, courageous, casting our fear onto our heavenly Father because He is walking right beside us assuring us as we go.

                Father, as we face the unknown and heal from the grief of the past, may we obey Your command to be strong and courageous, walking in the power of Your presence forever with us, wherever You may lead us. Thank You that we can rest assuredly that You will be with us, giving us strength as we rely on the promises from Your Word.

*A blog tribute on the third anniversary of Summer Goad Novotny's death can be accessed at:bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2015/09/remembering-summer-jalyn-goad-novotny.html

Does Remembering January Make July Cooler?

I glanced at this devotional written last January. Maybe recalling the chilly weather of the winter days will provide a refreshing breeze - actually, we haven't had an unbearable summer. Plus - the devotional carries a much deeper message than weather and fluctuating temps.

Bob and the Power Outage

Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. Psalm 139:12

                The power outage created anxiety for my elderly mother over her frozen food stuff. She knew it would remain frozen in the cold, January weather for a while, but she began stewing with questions like, “What if it is off for a week?”

I responded, “Let’s take it a day at a time and then reassess.” I tried to reassure her that the rural electric crews excel at restoring power - even in the worst weather.

 Each evening Bob, the lovable, orange and white Manx cat, came in to play in the hallway. After playing, he was ready to eat a bit and curl up in his cushiony bed on the back porch.  Without electricity, I thought I had better let Bob come in before darkness fell since I might be unable to find him in a dark house if he ventured from the hall.

Bob came in unfazed and quite comfortable in the dimly lit hallway. He batted his ball up and down the hall. As I sat and watched him, Psalm 139: 12 came to the forefront of my thoughts.

The last phrase of the verse lingered in my mind as I observed Bob enjoying himself in the shadowy corridor. He behaved as though light flooded the hall. Knowing how much better cats’ vision is in low light; I thought about God and darkness.

When David wrote Psalm 139, he explained succinctly that darkness and light were the same to God. How we fear what is unseen in the darkness! Anything could be in the dark, intent on harming us.

In the “dark” seasons of our lives, we fear what is unknown. What will be the outcome of an illness? Will the strained relationship strengthen and flourish or weaken and dissolve? In hazy, uncertain times, trusting God becomes difficult.

Times of light, certainty, and surety are identical in God’s realm to the situations when darkness, perplexity, and insecurity pervade every aspect of our thoughts and daily living. At moments of uncertainty and fearful indecision, we pray for faith to trust Him in the darkness since only He sees it just like light. Our trust in God shines light into our dark days.

Bob next to his new favorite piece of furniture -a foldable step stool. Bob
loves this stool since it has become part of his nightly routine. He knows that
he gets to play for around 30 minutes indoors. After about 25 minutes, he moves
to the stool, hops on it, and "rides" it to where I feed him a predetermined
amount of catnip treats. I always tell him when we are on the last two treats. He
seems to understand. What pampered pets we Americans have! My ancestors
would probably not understand.

Softball, Singing, and Skin Tests

                My mother, Bernyce Smith Gates, attended the Belford Grade School in the 1930s. During that time in her life, her family socialized with the Woods family. The families had several interests in common.

Her father and Perry Woods loved baseball. Her father, Calvin Callcayah Smith, became known for his pitching. Perry, the father of my mother’s friends, could be found most Sunday afternoons in the summer behind the plate playing the catcher’s position. 

These men’s wives had a strong bond with their faith in the Lord and their mutual desire for a daily obedience to His ways. To read more about the closeness of the Smith and Woods families, go to: http://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2015/06/one-of-most-unused-sources-of-power.html

Both families loved music. My grandmother, Gladys Vivian Rainey Smith, taught herself to read music as a teenager and then using the Rainey family’s old pump organ taught herself to play. She sang note-perfect the alto part. Lora Jean Woods, one the girls in the Woods family and Mother’s dear friend, sang alto beautifully, too.

 Perry Woods had trained in the shape-note singing in his younger days in Eastern Oklahoma. Shape-note music originated in the early 19^th century by coordinating the seven tonal syllables – do, ra, mi, fa, so , la, ti, - with shape-notes. Soon singers trained in the system were singing hymns and spiritual songs printed with the shape-notes.  Perry could sing equally well tenor or bass in their nightly musical family get-togethers.

My grandmother taught my mother, as a child, to read music. My mother, Bernyce Smith Gates, later had only eleven piano lessons. She served as the pianist of the Smith-Woods families’ singing nights. The two families gathered at my grandparents’ home since they owned a piano – the same piano that was recently restored. (More about its restoration at: http://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2016/04/i-hope-this-is-not-my-sewards-folly.html )

Betty Jo Woods, just younger than Lora Jean, sang the lead or soprano in the family group. When the Woods family sang special songs at revival or church services, Mother played the piano for them. Lora Jean sang the alto part with her father, Perry, singing the tenor or bass, depending on which part the song required most.

Lora Jean and Betty Jo Woods. Their
nicknames are "Lon" and "Pete."

The two families shared a love of baseball and music. Also my grandfather, Perry, and his wife, Ruth Washbourne Woods, all of Cherokee descent, had been born in the Cherokee Nation in the 1890s. As a result, my mother and the Woods’ children were classified as “Indians” and required to submit to the tuberculin skin test to identify tuberculosis cases. Mother said she never questioned why only she, Lora Jean, and Betty Jo were singled out for this screening. Obviously, my mother, Lora Jean, and Betty Jo didn’t associate prejudice with this type of racial profiling. Incidentally, their school experiences predated the era of the CDIB (Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood) card or classification.

The three friends loved to play softball at recess at the Belford Grade School and on the Belford girls' softball team. Lora Jean or "Lon" pitched for their little team. Betty Jo or "Pete" played catcher just like her father. My mother played first base. All three Cherokee girls delighted in slugging home runs. Whenever one of the girls connected their old wooden bat with the softball and sailed it over the school yard fence, it was deemed a "home run." Incidentally, even though Title 9 hadn't been instituted, the recess games sometimes were coed. The Belford boys hated to chase and try to find the "home run" balls that the girls smacked outside the school yard!

           My grandpa seldom shared about his past, particularly how his Cherokee ancestry affected his life. Yet, one evening, as I quizzed Grandma about family stories, he quietly spoke, “The only fight I ever got in was when I was called a ‘bug eater.’” The context of this controversy must have been quite mean-spirited to evoke this volatile response from my peace-loving grandpa. Yet Grandpa rose above the name-calling and lived a life free of animosity.
          A few years ago, I met an older man who had lived in the Big Bend in the early days. When he found out who my grandfather was, he said, “Oh, everybody knew Cull Smith was an Indian.” He didn’t elaborate on his statement, I didn’t try to read anything into his tone, and I didn’t question him further. I have learned sometimes it is best to follow the old proverb and “leave well enough alone.”

Sample of Shape-note Music from one of
Grandma's old songbooks.

As a teenager, I became intrigued by the old shape-note songbooks. One summer afternoon, I grabbed a pencil, plunked at the piano, until, through trial and error, I determined that the shapes below correlated to these tonal syllables.

Do – equilateral triangle – (upside down cone)

Re – round shape with a flat top

Mi – diamond

Fa – right triangle with base at top

So  - round

La – square

Ti – cone shape with rounded top