Deacon Matthew Ayoola Fabunmi
A Faithful Laborer For God
ALL ABOUT JESUS

COLOSSIANS 3:23-24 ESV

Whatever you do,
work heartily,
as for the Lord
and not for men,
knowing that from the Lord
you will receive the inheritance
as your reward.
You are serving the Lord Christ.

SO BLESSED BY THOSE WHO SERVE

We who are so blessed
through the love of Jesus
to be called
God’s own children
are so especially
blessed by our Father,
our Savior, the Son
and the Holy Spirit,
Almighty God,
Three-in-One and all
together proving
always perfect love;
we are surely blessed
by His who have
answered His Call
are gifted for
proclaiming His Word—
and yet in a most
empowering way
we are blessed by
His men and His women
who serve with their hands
so often scarred
by the marks of
their faithful labor
ministering His
practical love
even as Jesus did
in a carpenter’s shop.

In April of 1982 as I began a missionary career, I recall being excited just to be serving side-by-side with heroes who had already seen God accomplishing so much as they shared the Gospel among so many who had never heard. I realized how blessed I was to see in them God using sturdy and courageous servants ready and determined to do His work. So, as I felt privileged to work beside such giants as John and Louise HIll, Wiley and Geneva Faw, Jane Ellen Gaines, Mary Jane Whorton, Ward and LouAnn Nicholson, Larry and Trish Davis, Gene and Marian Leftwich, just to name a few; I felt great joy in the Lord’s work.

However, I must confess, that  I discovered heroes in God’s service I had not really expected. In setting up my housekeeping, in facing the daily chores of simply living in a very different land, I quickly realized how needy I was. To my relief, and over the years, to my very great benefit, I began to discover such faithful servants of God as James, an electrician, Joseph, a plumber, Dayo, a mechanic, Esther, a housekeeper, and later, Mrs. Elkanah, a nanny, Michael, a mission driver, and Gideon, a literal jack-of-all-trades. I discovered in getting to know these wonderful Christian men and women, fellow laborers in the work of seeing God’s Kingdom grow all around me.

Deacon and Mrs. Fabunmi
worked hard and long
to establish a strong Christian Heritage
in the lives of their children.

As I write with deep gratitude for their assistance, which made possible any work I was able to do in service for the Lord, I particularly think of Deacon Fabunmi, as I always knew him. He had a very strong reputation among our missionaries in Jos, as an excellent, a dependable and an affordable carpenter. So, as a young, and at that time, single missionary, in setting up house keeping, I inevitably needed some basic furniture. Deacon Fabunmi came highly recommended.

I soon recognized how faithful he was, how wise, how skilled, and especially how clear in his Christian testimony he lived out openly before the world. Every chair, every table, every project he undertook, he took as a trust, as a challenge to produce the best, and to do so at a fair price that never had to be questioned.  All I had to do was to share with him my unfocused request, and he would ask the right questions, do the correct measurements, and put into a design and a proposal, how he could produce not just what I had imagined, but more importantly, what I needed. Perhaps his crowning achievement as a carpenter came as he designed and built a movable screened in room to sit on our patio, which would allow our children to play outside without being targeted by the pesky mosquitoes. He did this so expertly, it was even strong enough to be transported outside the town, so that it could continue to serve when we were moved from one house to the other. 

All of Deacon and Mrs. Fabunmi’s children
praise God for their parents’
loving yet strict upbringing
in a joyful Christian household.

Not only did I have the privilege of seeing his excellent work as a carpenter, but I also got to know some of his children as students at Baptist High School.  I had the privilege of leading two of his sons in discipleship, so I got a close-up view of how deeply they devoted their lives to Christ and how strongly they had been taught their faith at home. Simeon, one of his older sons, now serves with his wife as missionaries in Malawi. In paying tribute to his father, Simeon commented that he had always been strongly supported by his parents, even though God was leading them to Malawi, a huge distance away on the other side of Africa. Tunde, a younger son, has settled into life in Arkansas with his family, where his career has carried him. He is presently a deacon in the local church. I also knew his daughter Bose, when she was at Baptist High, and her now husband, Samson, who was in Tunde’s discipleship group. Now they serve together where Samson pastors an exciting, deeply ministering church on Victoria Island in Lagos. She  holds a Ph.D in Medical Physics and is a lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of Lagos. Others among Deacon Fabunmi’s children reflect that same godly character along with educational professional achievement. Moses has retired as an Internal Auditor at the national institute of veterinary medicine in Vom, Plateau State, near Jos. Thomas is Professor of Crop Production at the Federal University of Agricullture in Abeokuta. Foluke is a Lecturer in Estate Manaagement and Valuation at the Federal University of Technology in Minna. Sarah teaches at the Love Paradise Academy in Bauchi. Oladayo serves as the Customer Experience Lead at Mixta Africa in Lagos. Tope is a teacher at Alfred Jonah International School, Sapele, in Delta State. Even more impressive than all of this, though, is that every single one of these Fabunmi children is involved in leadership at some level within their local churches. I am reminded, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22: 6 ESV) Deacon Fabunmi was never able to get a formal education, but he worked incredibly hard to provide it for each of his children. What a wonderful twin heritage he and his wife  provided for their children; a deep, abiding faith in Christ which serves others, and a determination to excel and contribute to society in their chosen profession.

The Fabunmi’s children are working hard
and serving faithfully
In Nigeria, and in the U.S.,
through their local churches,
while one serves with his wife
in Malawi as a missionary.

As a longtime deacon at the historic First Baptist Church in Jos, Deacon Fabunmi led among that church family in many ways. He taught Sunday School for many years. He coordinated a home cell group. He served as the Chairperson for the Board of Deacons for many years. He assisted the Pastor in ministering the Word of God. He led prayers and prayer meetings, and assisted families in conflict resolution. He also served as the head of the Church Training program. No wonder we see his and his wife’s many children carrying on, serving the Lord through their local churches.

In tributes to their father after he entered glory a few years ago, his children and their spouses spoke of this love, his using Scripture to discipline, his smiles, his jokes and his laughter, and his serving as a strong foundation for each of their now successful and blessed lives. I must say I am not surprised. I remember my times with him as he worked on our roof, or as he delivered one beautiful example of his carpentry or another. He was always gracious, forthcoming, wise and trustworthy. Many of us have been blessed to have such godly, such hard-working, such unselfish, such Christ-like parents. Deacon Fabunmi was always the kind of man any person would be proud and privileged to call Father. Praise be to God for his life and for the joy He now experiences in the presence of our Lord he served so long and so faithfully.

John 3:16 In Yoruba
Johanu 3:16
Bíbélì Mímọ́ Yorùbá Òde Òn
16 “Nítorí Ọlọ́run fẹ́ aráyé tó bẹ́ẹ̀ gẹ́ẹ́, tí ó fi ọmọ rẹ̀ kan ṣoṣo fún ni, kí ẹnikẹ́ni tí ó bá gbà á gbọ́, má bà á ṣègbé, ṣùgbọ́n kí ó lè ní ìyè àìnípẹ̀kun.

EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
AND IN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP:
MR. JOHN ADISA
A GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT
MAKING LIFE FULLY
ALL ABOUT JESUS

Proverbs 4:25-27 ESV

Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.

THE GODLY KEEP THEIR FEET STRAIGHT ON THE PATH

The godly keep their feet straight
on the path laid out before them
whether its way leads beside
a pleasant stream in
the midst of a fresh green
meadow filled with lovely
flowers or through a rocky,
dried up field cluttered
with nothing but cracks and
crevices and challenges.

God’s own faithful people
keep Him in mind both when
their trek seems simple and
when every step seems
painful and difficult—and
in the end they leave a trail
honorable to a destination
so beautiful every single
challenge along the way
proves it perfectly beautiful.

Praise God! I have had the privilege of serving under very fine Christlike leaders—who made my paths along the way essentially good and certainly beneficial in following the ways of God. In my very first job I worked for Mr. Gurley who ran a small grocery store just across the street from our church. He definitely kept to the pathway of integrity even as he and his family worked hard to provide through his modest business a good living.  Then I worked for the visionary Marsha Eichenberg in our Baptist Association’s Summer Mission Program. In my first teaching job I had the privilege of serving under another faithful, godly man, Mr. Bill Owens. Next, I had the honor of serving in our Etowah Baptist office, being supervised by Rev. George Y. Williams as our Associational Missionary. Then I was off to south Georgia once again, coming under the leadership of Principal Charles Estes in St. Marys. While teaching there I also served under Rev. John Goad as one of the youth directors at the First Baptist Church. When I began teaching at Baptist High School in  Jos, Nigeria, I taught under the supervision of our Principal, Rev. Dr. Musa Bawa and our Vice-Principal, Mr. John Adisa, the well-deserving subject  of this post. At Hillcrest School, also in Jos, I became the Secondary School Principal under our Superintendent, Mr. Dick Seinan. When we moved to Niger, I again worked as the Secondary School Principal under our Director, Mr. Brian Bliss and under Miss Beverly Farrer, now Mrs. Beverly Bean. Finally, I taught at Westbrook Christian School, under Mrs. Cindy Greer and Mrs. Rachel Neal.  I can truly say, each of these leaders became mentors and examples used by the Lord to open up His Good Way for me.

I have chosen to write about Mr. John Adisa, the Vice-Principal at Baptist High School, Jos, because he truly exemplified and taught me the lessons of hard work and integrity in leadership. When I arrived at Baptist High School in Jos, he had already spent many years as a chemistry teacher and then, as Vice-Principal. He had been born in April of 1934 in the Manguna area of Bokkos in Plateau State. He attended primary school in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, and the Boys Secondary School in Gindiri, back in Plateau State. He also completed studies at the Teachers Training College in Gindiri, after which he began teaching at the Boys Secondary School in Gindiri before moving to Kwai Girls Secondary School back in Kaduna State, where he taught chemistry, physics, biology and additional (or advanced) mathematics. At  that school he developed a love for photography, and so became the school photographer. He earned his B.Sc at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria in 1980, and then his Master’s at the University of Jos.

In the meantime he met his future wife, Monilola , while she was completing her nurses training at the Wesley Guild School of Nursing and Midwifery. They were married on April 27, 1967. Then they moved to Jos where Mr. Adisa went to work at Baptist High School in 1974. He began his work under Mr. Sambo, the first Nigerian Principal, and continued his service under Rev. Dr. Musa Baka. While his first job assignment was as the chemistry teacher, he faithfully served in many roles, as an academic adviser, as a chapel preacher, and certainly as a Christian mentor to many Baptist High School teachers. I certainly count myself as one of those teachers blessed to have  had him as a role model.

Mr. and Mrs. Adisa were blessed
with four girls and one boy,
and their house was always filled with
the joy and laughter of these,
along with beloved
nieces and nephews also.

He was always recognized for his devoted and loving family life as fine Christian husband and father. The staff house where they lived on the BHS campus was typically full, overflowing with family and friends and enjoyable activities. He lived as a highly principled and disciplined man, who clearly spoke out in the face of any questionable activities. This sometimes led to a misunderstanding of his personality, which not only remained constant and disciplined, but also featured a heart filled with compassion. He was quick to offer comfort and help and support as students and other staff members met various challenges.

Now, Mr. Adisa, an extremely hard worker himself, had high expectations for other teachers, and certainly his students. Some students, as they will, complained about his being overly tough and thorough in his teaching. Many of them came back later and paid tribute to him for “pushing” them to success. In the midst of the challenges he faced at Baptist High School, he faithfully worked through them, pointing to God’s own faithfulness. Having proved his excellence in teaching and in working among other teachers, he was appointed as Vice-Principal.

Mr. Adisa helped to establish
a heritage of excellence in
chemistry student’s performance
at Baptist High School.

I had the privilege of leading his son, Akin, in a small discipleship group. Akin always impressed me with his intelligence, his desire for Christian growth, his delight in our times of fun and fellowship, and in his sincere desire to become a godly man. He reflected in every way the very best of his father’s heart for God, his loving respect for other people, and in his determination to do the right thing in the face of every challenge. For me Akin always exemplified the goodness of his godly father.

When time came for him to finish his service at Baptist High School, Mr. Adisa was certainly recognized for his godliness, his hard work, his excellent teaching, and his faithfulness to God’s Way over the world’s way. There is no doubt that he accomplished God’s Purpose for him as he gave a lifetime of service to countless students and their families through his teaching, his mentoring and leading students and teachers in the Way of his Lord Jesus. Mr Adisa truly made his life a powerful influence for good. He demonstrated clearly how to make life ALL ABOUT JESUS.

How blessed we are
to walk in the footsteps
of godly educators
like John Adisa.

JOE AND ANN BROTHERS:
SERVANTS: HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE TO GOD

Joe and Ann Brothers
love and serve
their Lord Jesus
in a manner that
always points their
family and friends and
others to Him. PTL!

Romans 12:1-2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers,
by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship..
But be not conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern
what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.

LEADERS AND SERVANTS,  WHOLLY GOD’S

You cannot help but notice their
steady faithfulness over the years,
servants surrendered so totally
they do as fully as Jesus did
loving acts which lift other
people up to see the light
so bright and beautiful
in the perfect love of God.

When love is required they
sacrifice their own will
and do just as their Savior
did laying down their lives
to lift up others when all
seems hopelessly dark
and they feel blind needing
the light only Jesus brings.

When truth is required they
hold nothing back but speak
it as straight as their Savior
did for they love too much
to let others fall down into
the Enemy’s traps—yet they
never let compassion fail
but take sweet redemption’s trail.

When called upon to sacrifice
they follow their Shepherd’s
faithful steps toward His Cross
where His blood was shed,
for surrender marks every
word they say and every
thing they do for His Love
to live even as Jesus lived.

Always throughout the
years of their marriage
Joe and Ann have been
faithful to joyfully point
others to Jesus.

When I look at the lives of Joe and Ann Brothers, I have to wonder who it was who invested so much early in their lives to bring forth such godly, humble, hard-working, gifted and in all ways beautiful servants of their Lord. I leave it to our Lord to reward these mentoring souls for introducing to Joe and Ann during their early years faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. All of us who know them, all of us who have been blessed by them, all of us who praise God so much for the manner in which He illuminates their lives of service and devoted love; praise Him for Joe and Ann and their beautiful lives.

Ann was actually a Preacher’s Kid who moved around quite a bit during her early years, so it is not surprising that she found faith in Christ at a young age, while Joe did so as a teenager. They actually lived in the same East Gadsden neighborhood, near East Walnut Baptist Church, where Ann’s Dad served as Pastor. They actually met through Ann’s older sister, Faye. Their interest in each other grew so strong Joe was known to travel thirteen hours from his Marine Base to East Gadsden to visit Ann on the weekends. They spent their early married years on Paris Island until Joe  finished his time with the Marines, and they moved back to Gadsden. They both soon got involved in the ministries of East Walnut. Joe served by teaching the youth, working with R.A.’s and coaching softball. Ann also worked with the Acteens, while they both played a lot of church league softball. Jill, their daughter, remembers endless weekends of softball tournaments and hotels as a wonderfully fun family time.

Joe has always packed
his life with seeking
to live all of the adventures God has
for him and others.

Now, Joe has been working with R.A.’s for over fifty years  both on the local and the state level. Having always loved the outdoors, he builds hiking and camping into his ministry. That is how Camp Monsoon actually began. When the family moved to Glencoe, they became a part of of First Baptist Church, Glencoe. They soon got involved in the youth work, and of course, Joe joined in the work with the R.A.’s, while Ann became a part of leading the Acteens. Joe continued taking R.A.’s on camping trips, and Jill, their daughter, made it clear that girls enjoyed camping also. So, Joe started father-daughter campouts, but even so, Jill pushed for more—the full-fledged campout experience.

Joe is always imagining
new activities which
give the campers
unforgettable memories
pointing them always
to the goodness and
the faithfulness of Jesus.

So, as loving and wise fathers do, Joe agreed to do campouts for both boys and girls. This big campout has always taken place during the spring break for schools in late March or early April, a normally rainy time of year. Still, rains or monsoons have never stopped the enthusiastic campers. No camp was ever cancelled due to rain—only COVID’s first year and enforced restrictions managed to do that. On occasion the camp had to begin at the church and later move to the destination. Now Camp Monsoon is a deeply loved tradition for many families in Glencoe. Now the large groups of youth and children are divided into high school teams led by Juniors and Seniors, and younger teams composed of middle schoolers and elementary aged kids, monitored by adults. During the camps the youth and children are constantly involved in one game or another. Usually there is a morning hike; during which the campers use maps and compasses to complete assigned tasks. After lunch the campers complete a challenging obstacle course. Then there is a “fear factor” meal later in the evening. Campers eat well,  being served hot breakfasts, lunches and even steaks on Friday night. The logistics for giving families such a terrific gospel-centric experience requires year-round planning and the help of large numbers of adults—all united together to provide the students a thrilling encounter filled with fun, faith, and Jesus.

Now, just pause a moment with me and think about the imagination and commitment it takes to pull off such a powerful ministry event. Mind-blowing, isn’t it? Such is what Joe and Ann and their depth of commitment to loving people and sharing the gospel. accomplish. Along with their family and their faith family they demonstrate to the camping families and especially students, just how exciting and powerful the Christian life can become.

Joe and Ann definitely
know how to have fun;
and all the shouting and
laughing and competing
illustrate for all involved
the wonderful joy
of knowing Jesus.

Now, add to this deeply held passion for youth and children, a similar commitment to every ministry of the Church Faith Family. This is why you see Joe when there are building needs at the Church. This is why you see Ann when there is a meal to be served or a shower to be arranged. This is why you see them active in Life Groups and in D-Life Groups. This is why Joe serves faithfully as a Deacon. This is why Ann constantly assists with our Day School ministry. AND it quickly becomes clear as you get to know them better; they take it all in stride, and do not consider their lives to be an anything extraordinary. For both of them, Christians follow Christ; they love as He loves, they serve as He serves, they encourage as He encourages, and they enjoy life just as He did while He was on earth and now that He is in Heaven.

Wherever you find
Joe and Ann they
are busy loving on
family and friends.

When confusion arises, they seek truth, they unite rather than divide, and they help others to focus on God’s Way ahead as His Will is discovered and followed. They handle crises with deep faith and prayer and dependence on their Father in Heaven’s provision. As their son, Matt, suffered through a period of peril and suffering due to kidney failure; Joe and Ann honestly suffered with him and called upon their church’s faith family to join them and uphold them in prayer. When crises came, they heroically walked side-by-side with Matt and again called the Faith Family to prayer. When disappointments and delays arose, they honestly shared and called the Faith Family to prayer. And when God ultimately brought Matt the kidney he required (from a true Christian brother/friend) Joe and Ann led the Faith Family in rejoicing with Matt and glorifying God. Now that is a living witness.

While we were on the mission field, I truly admired Joe and Ann for all of the above, and for their full and loving support for us and our children. I will never forget how Ann provided day care for John David as a young toddler, along with a few others, in their home. One day he somehow got his head stuck between posts on their stairs, and, of course, Joe came along to rescue him and the day. And again when John David was at Jacksonville State, Joe became a father figure, a source of encouragement and godly advice when, John David needed it most. We remain eternally grateful.

One member of our Faith Family, Jim Runner, says; “I realized quickly as a young teenager that Joe had a God-given love for young people. He was my RA leader at East Walnut Baptist Church, where he put so much into teaching us to be Ambassadors for Christ. When I needed him most, he was always there. He continues to show his Christian love for me, and naturally, I feel the same about him.”

Somehow both Joe and Ann found time to work at “normal” jobs;  he for 35 years at Bell South, now AT&T; and Ann in childcare—in her at home day care for 20 years and as a substitute teacher at the Church Day School for 15 years. I know that their strong Christian testimonies have told many tales  of God’s loving power on those jobs throughout those years. When God so fills lives with His Power, He is glorified, they find joy, and others are richly blessed. Amen!

Mrs. Betty Woodward
A Godly Wife and Mother
A Faithful Witness For
Her Lord Jesus
Mrs. Betty Woodward
One Among The Faithful
Among The Greatest Generation:
IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS

Psalm 78:4 ESV

We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.

STEADFAST FAITHFULNESS

Steadfast faithfulness day-by-day
in the face of overwhelming trials
reveal great strength in hearts and minds
of those who serve the Lord with all
the gifts He has given by His grace
in the midst of His mercies deep
as with their hands and by their words
they testify to our Lord and the joy
He bestows to those Jesus gathers
by His perfect Love to Himself and leads
as He demonstrates salvation true
in this world which needs Him more than
all the earthly powers hold—by God’s
glory He bestows on such special souls
a heritage both deep and rich to pass
around for the blessing of His very own.

The World War II generation is often called the Greatest Generation. This is, in part, because they endured a catastrophic war and then successfully took on the task of rebuilding and recovering from the widespread devastation of that war. This was my parents’ generation, and I when I look back on my years growing up in the fifties and sixties, I recall many outstanding examples of men and women who stood strong, worked hard, and served faithfully  both their families and their communities. They did so within the context of their deeply held faith lived out in strong and growing churches. These people found deep reservoirs of incredible strength to achieve amazing things through their day-to-day dependence on Jesus as their Savior and their Lord. In the midst of family, work and all of the activities those entailed; they found their foundation in their church. For them, Sundays centered on Sunday School and worship, and in the evenings, Training Union (discipleship training) and Evening Worship. Many of these same families attended Prayer Meeting on Wednesdays, along with G.A.’s for girls, R.A.’s for boys, and Sunbeams for younger children—all of these providing missions education.  Women often participated actively in WMU circles (women’s small groups focusing on Bible Study enriched with missions studies and fervent prayer and missions actions projects). Many of these men gathered for Brotherhood, also focused on Biblically based mission study and mission projects. Family life and church life were deeply intertwined as these faithful men and women found strength and direction for their lives.

At First Baptist Glencoe, where I grew up there were plenty of families who lived out their faith in this manner. I think of families like the Culbersons, the Starnes, the Owens, the Hales, the Whaleys, the Woodwards, and so many more. They all have lived out mighty testimonies of faith. In her own unique way I see Mrs. Betty Woodward as a clear example of one who has lived out an exemplary life as a strong Christian woman  building within her family a great heritage passed down from the Greatest Generation.

Howard and Betty Woodward
An American Soldier
And His British Bride
United In Chirst

She was born as Betty Clabburn on October 3, 1927 in Norwich, England. She had one older brother, Cecil, who served in the British Royal Air Force. During World War II she was working in the city library, and was having to deal with nightly bombing raids, black outs and severe rationing. At her church she met an American soldier, Howard Woodward, from Glencoe. They fell in love and got engaged to be married. His mother actually sent Betty’s gown and the bridesmaids’ dresses from the United States. During his time deployed to Egypt Howard bought almonds to be used in their wedding cake. They married on May 28, 1945. When the war ended, Howard was shipped back to the States as a soldier, so Betty followed alone on a civilian ship, leaving all of her family and friends behind. Howard and his Dad built the house where Betty still lives today. They lived in Glencoe all of these years except for a brief time in Miami, Florida.

Betty and Her Children
Judy, Roy,
Penny, Sally

Both Howard and Betty were involved in the Church throughout their marriage. She sang in the choir, helped with the youth, and taught Sunday School for over fifty years. She also helped with the WMU and G.A.’s., and Vacation Bible School. They had four children; Sally, Judy, Roy and Penny. They were married 61 years until he passed away in 2007. Betty now has nine grandchildren and twenty-five great grandchildren. For many years Betty volunteered at the Glencoe Senior Center, as she put it, “ . . . helping to feed the old people.” Obviously, she has a sly, subtle sense of humor. Betty turned 97 on October 3.

In addition to raising their children and serving faithfully in Church, Betty went to work in 1968. She retired in 1992. In the meantime she remained deeply devoted to her family and her church. Her Sunday School class loved her deeply because she obviously loved the Lord, His Word and certainly each of those she taught. She ministered to them both as individuals and as a class, as a faithful disciple in her Lord’s service.

Speaking of a Heritage:
Four Children
Nine Grandchildren
25 Great Gradchildren

In 2009 two of Betty’s daughters, Sally and Penny, and a granddaughter, Randa, took her back to England for her first visit back home. She found her hometown pretty much unchanged. So, she was able to show them around. They visited the church where she and Howard had been married, the same jewelry store where Howard had bought her wedding ring, and her old home where they had met. What a beautiful opportunity to share her own heritage!

You see what I mean. There is something special about our parents’ World War II generation, who have been called the Greatest Generation for many reasons. Basically, Betty, Harold and so many like them, loved and served God, loved and cared sacrificially for their children—and they persevered in the face of mighty challenges—in the strength of their Lord Jesus—and so, accomplished much for HIs glory throughout their lives. And Betty, bless her heart,  because she has so richly blessed our own, continues faithfully walking on. We are blessed to know her and follow in her path of faithfulness and love.

Those of us raised by Betty’s generation have been richly blessed and challenged to have followed in their footsteps. May God continue to richly reward them for all He has accomplished in our lives and in the lives of our own children and grandchildren through them. Truly He led them, and truly they followed Him faithfully to persevere and preserve so much of what is dear to us still in this life. Truly they have clearly set out the way to follow our Lord Jesus as they did, in spite of challenges that arise, as God continues to build His eternal and Hs holy kingdom.

Blessed By God
Blessed In Faithfulness
Blessed Through Service
Blessed In Love

IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS!!!
From Winter to Spring,
From Summer to Fall—
it’s ALL ABOUT JESUS!!!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 ESV

For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven; .
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant,
and a time to pluck up what is planted; . . .

When I look around me these October days in Alabama, I long for the changing of the leaves from bright green to oranges and reds of various hues. I certainly enjoy the beautiful mums painted in a rainbow of colors, and the pumpkins in orange, and the gourds in their oranges and greens and whites. Oh, I can’t leave out the bright blue skies highlighting all of these other beautiful colors. Yet, even amidst all of this beauty, I do so anticipate the changing of the leaves from their summertime green to their autumn’s more colorful show. Isn’t it just like God to keep us looking forward to the fresh sense of change He brings into our lives—keeping our hearts always looking forward to His revelation of His perfection and, of course, His Love. As month passes into month and each season yields to another, I am reminded, every day has its own unique ups and downs; every week has its highs and its lows; every month’s moons and our moods both wax and wane; and every year brings all its challenges and its victories and all of its in-betweens. Surely our God remains in charge. Surely He holds everything in His hands. Surely He continues working for His glory, which is always for our ultimate good. Praise His Holy Name!

How can you not love
a tree-lined autumn road
all colored and shadowed
golden, orange and glorious?

Or what about a road
aglow, all glistening white
and silver and oh, so bright
hardly a shadow in sight?

…and then there’s a road
all cloistered over with
such spectacular pink
you find it hard to think!

Wow! There’s nothing like
finding a road in the heat
shadowed by majestic trees
so you can just catch a breeze!

Genesis 8:22 ESV

While the earth remains,
seed time and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night,
shall not cease.

In the midst of constant change it is such a blessing to know that God has set the pattern, and He is still very much involved in using His plan to bless this world for the sake of His glory, and for the purpose of His bringing more and more and more of His children back to Him through the beautiful Gospel truth of Jesus offering redemption through His life, His teaching, His calling, His healing, His dying and His resurrection. Then there is the Presence of HIs Holy Spirit indwelling His children, inspiring and guiding and directing their living out this Gospel Truth everyday, and everywhere and in every way possible, so that God’s Church continues to grow from strength to strength until New Heaven and New Earth are permanently established.

Bridges are so powerful
a parable, a symbol
of Jesus our Savior
becoming our way
back to our Father
and our God.

…and the beautiful red cardinal
is such a powerful picture
of God’s using nature
to remind us of His
ever present, perfect love.

Hallelujah! It seems like
all of God’s springtime
wonders point us to the
glory of Jesus and His
victorious resurrection.

Then there are those
amazing, splendid
summertime suns—
God reigns, Praise His Holy Name!

Psalm 74:17 ESV

You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
you have made summer and winter.

I admit it! There are chilly autumn mornings while I am walking when I long for the energizing summer sun. And there are certainly cold and wet winter evenings when there are no colors to be seen when I long for beautiful autumn evenings as the sun sets as golden as the leaves on the ground. Then there are those days in spring when admittedly golden pollen frustrates me as it coats our cars once again. And whew! Those summer afternoons and evenings can sap all of my energy for living. However, those tend to be momentary frustrations, and some time in God’s Word or with family and church family help me laugh through the inconveniences and recognize how beautifully God has designed every season for His good purpose and for our joy. Focusing on His glory sure does take care of my too often self-centered gripes and complaints. The beauties all around me constantly remind me He IS Good.

The glory and goodness
of God shines so
beautifully bright when
all the trees seem to compete
to see whose leaves can
show off their joy in Him
most spectacularly.

There is something about
starlight reflecting on a winter night
which splendidly shines
God’s own glory just right.

How beautifully nature sings
in the springtime the glories of God
putting on shows with beauties
His work in Creation bestows.

And then there’s His blinding sun
mesmerizing our eyes.
illuminating the skies
with His most glorious fire.

Jeremiah 8:7

Even the stork in the heavens
knows her times,
and the turtledove, swallow, and crane
keep the time of their coming,
but my people know not
the rules of the LORD.

Perhaps the birds of the air more clearly than most of God’s Creatures mark the passing glories of the seasons. Perhaps we should take note how they glorify their Maker as they fit so majestically in His patterns for them. Perhaps we have lessons to learn as we waste so much of our time battling against God’s eternal and perfect time line. Perhaps we need to each contemplate His Will more purposefully and seek Him more diligently as we trust in Him and follow His Will.

Imagine how birds in the autumn
must stop on a stem and just stare
at all of the glory surrounding
the leaves all around them so fair.

Now winter birds have the
rare privilege of adding some glory
to all of the glistening white—
such a spectacular sight.

Well, what could be brighter
or better in the midst of
spring flowers
than brilliant yellow—a sight
that seems just about right?

Maybe it takes a bright red
to be noticed amidst all of the colors
of summer washed over, of course,
by the scorching, though glorious sun.

Psalm 104:19 ESV

He made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting.

Well God does set his moon in the nights of the seasons to keep us on track according to His eternal plan, to include order and patterns as each year begins, then rushes right on through to the end. And in HIs power and His wisdom each day the sun rises again to remind us His Ways are dependable, and His Truth is supernatural and His Life is eternal. As the moon rises and sets, and the sun also rises and sets, our God accomplishes Hs Good Will. Through faith in Jesus we can truly enjoy the Ride. “Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8) (ESV)

A harvest moon rising
highlights the glories
even deep into the night
of God’s wonderful story.

Oh, wow! Look at that moon!
Sitting there in a deep blue sky,
brightening the night
though the air is so cold.

The sun on his way down
after blessing the blooming
of all the flowers appearing
to welcome our Lord’s resurrection.

And in the summer time
the sun going down
with another hallelujah
for one more day blessed.

AND SO THESE ARE THE SEASONS

And so these are the seasons,
autumn, then winter,
spring time, then summer,
all in praise to the Maker
of all of the glories
so coloring our world
with so much beauty
reflecting His goodness,
His love and His mercy,
His grace and His care,
His tending His own
like a good Shepherd,
His healing His own
like a good Doctor,
His teaching His own
like a good Master,
His welcoming His own
like  a good Father
His giving His life
like a good Savior.

Every season a masterpiece
declaring God’s Glory in Creation
and His Loving Gospel Plan
overflowing from His faithful Heart.
IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS!!!

Rev. Dr. Isaiah Okanlawon is proving the truth of Jesus’ Parable of the Sower as his faithful life continues to bring in a more than hundredfold harvest.
Praise God!

Sowing Seed In Rich Soil:
IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS:
ISAIAH OKANLAWON, D.MIN

SOWING SEED MAY SEEM A HUMBLE TASK

Matthew 13:8 ESV
Other seed fell on good soil
and produced grain,
some a hundredfold,
some sixty, some thirty.

Just sowing seed may seem a humble task
out in the fields on a sunny day
while others are sipping lemonade
as they choose an easy game to play.

And then there’s this problem; some seed
may fall and die on hardened ground,
others might land among the stones,
and still others among the thorns.

Still, here is this Good News, praise the Lord!
Some seeds will land on good soil, sound,
and yield a crop abundant and rich,
some thirty, sixty, a hundred fold.

So sowing may seem a thankless task,
leaving to chance the fate of the seed,
but in the end the harvest is sure
with faithful workers richly blessed.

And the Kingdom of God on earth
grows and grows and grows
as redeemed souls go to the fields
and join God’s harvesting force.

Baptist High School Students spend six years exploring all that God has for their future in finding Jesus as Savior and in discovering the calling He has for their lives.

Baptist High School states it’s mission this way: To serve and glorify God through the provision of Christian education in order to produce Christ-dominated, highly intellectual servant-leaders who can take the light and life and hope of Jesus Christ to Nigeria, Africa and the world.  Having operated since 1961, several thousand students have gone out into the world to fulfill this worthy Gospel-centric goal. This week I want to focus on one of those students who has, like so many other through the years, proved to have rich and fertile soil in his soul, so that God is reaping through him and his faithfulness, much more than a hundred fold harvest. Praise the Lord!

Isaiah Okanlawon moved with his parents from Mubi to Jos in 1970. There he had the opportunity to attend Baptist High School. During his second year in the school he gave his life to Christ. He then had the privilege of joining the first discipleship group led by Rev. Philip Wilson. Isaiah also became one of the original Torchbearers drama group, and shared with his fellow members through dramas and skits the Gospel in many different settings. As an excellent and exemplary  student, he was selected by the BHS staff to serve as the Games Prefect, the student leader responsible for working under the P.E. Teacher to supervise all students in their daily sports time. No doubt, Isaiah’s heart and mind were already open to God’s planting Gospel Seed deep in his life to produce a bountiful harvest.

Life at Baptist High School centers on the beautiful Chapel
and the powerful gospel-centered worship
and preaching students and staff experience there.

Isaiah then went on to attend the University of Ilorin, where he earned a B.Sc in Industrial Engineering. He also earned a Post Graduate Diploma and an M.Sc in Chemical Engineering at the University of Benin.. It was during this time that he met his wife, Foluke, at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ife. They have been married now for 29 years, and have three children, one of whom is married. Later he earned an M.Div at the Nigerian Baptist Seminary and a D. Min at the Providence Theological Seminary in Manitoba, Canada.   After graduating from the University of Ilorin he began working in the petroleum industry. After beginning his career in Nigeria, h eventually moved to Canada to continue his engineering profession. During his university  and seminary studies God captivated his heart with a love for missions and spreading the Gospel throughout the world.

God has certainly blessed Isaiah and Foluke, his wife, with Toluwalogo, Fiyinfoluwa, and Fopefolua, along with their daughter-in-law, Chidimma.

Isaiah is currently working as a consultant in the oil and gas industry, specifically  with a deep water well delivery project in off shore Nigeria as the Well Operations Superintendent. But he has been doing so much more than that. He has served as the Discipleship Ministry Coordinator for New Revelations Baptist Church in Ikeja, Lagos, Director of Worship for the Full Gospel Men’s Fellowship In Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and as House Church Pastor of Divine Grace Baptist Church in Woji, Part Harcourt and has often led conferences on the central role of true worship in the Church.

Fifteen years ago Isaiah was inspired by God to found the Praise of His Glory Ministry (PHGM). He serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and as the International President. He oversees the activities of the organization in both Canada and the United States. He is also a bi-vocational minister who serves as a resource person related to worship and renewal with the Church. Whew! Such a busy man, being used mightily and widely for his training, his gifting, and most of all his zeal and love for the Lord. When you speak with him, you notice the urgency he senses deep in his heart for getting the Gospel where lack of resources have hindered people from hearing the Good News of Jesus.

His group supports more than 125 missionaries, most of them being indigenous African missionaries. They also provide educational opportunities for the children of these missionaries. They fund boreholes to provide clean water in remote communities in West Africa. They give assistance in building church buildings, school buildings and mission houses. They work with the Christian Refuge for Children Foundation in Jos, Nigeria. This refuge serves children who have lost at least one parent to terrorist groups in Nigeria. The PHGM pays the salary for the 37 staff and teachers at this crucial mnistsry. They also provide medical programs in communities where Christians are a small minority. They are obviously working in the Lord’s harvest field.

The PHGM group sponsors outreach to those
who have a desperate need for Gospel witness,

Isaiah’s message to us as believers is a challenge to us to make sure we are faithfully using the resources God has provided to support such work as his group is doing.  Such support enables laborers to enter the harvest field in difficult and remote places. In Isaiah’s life and ministry we see God’s Gospel plan coming full circle as his life is so much ALL ABOUT JESUS that we are seeing (Praise be to God!) much more than a hundred fold harvest of those seeds planted in the rich soil of his heart and soul so many years ago at Baptist High School, Jos.

This leaves us with this question: Since God’s people have planted so lovingly God’s seed in your heart; just how much of a harvest is the Lord seeing from you in His harvest fields?

www.praiseofhisglory.net

IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS:
FAITHFUL LIVES
TEACHING AND TRAINING OTHERS

Coach Lyle Darnell and
Mrs. Lou Darnell have
lived faithful lives
inspiring and challenging who-knows-how-many
young people to understand
IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS.

Colossians 3:17 ESV

And whatever you do,
in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

How Do You Recognize Greatness?

How do you recognize greatness?
How do you look at a life well-lived
and measure the good they have
done and  have said
and measure the impact they’ve had?
How do you logically pause
and decide? Do you listen
to those who know them?
Do you ask some of the players
he coached? Do you ask some of the
the students she taught?
Do you consider
the achievements they’ve made, what games
and championships they have won?
Do you look at the careers of
students they taught?
Possibly, possibly
not; perhaps there’s a measure
that goes deeper, that’s better by
far—what has our Lord
done in their hearts and their lives? How
has His Spirit changed people for
the growth of God’s Kingdom
triumphant?
Great people will give you this answer:
”Don’t look at me, look at Jesus.”
Don’t give me your thanks,
just praise Jesus.”

With a long-time, faithful
marriage and a lifetime
filled with serving students,
maintaining a clear and
consistent Christian witness—
that is a definition for greatness!

Where do I begin talking about life-long servants in God’s Kingdom who continue to encourage and uplift God’s people when many folks might be content to sit back and take it easy after giving multiple decades of outstanding service in coaching and teaching? Let me first of all share with you what Jan Bailey, one of the Darnell’s daughters,  said to me as she kindly shared  lots of detailed information about her parents for this post. She  made it clear  that for her Dad the number of victories and championships related to his coaching career, take second place to his desire to be recognized for his Christian character exemplified throughout his many years devoted to coaching. For Coach and Mrs. Darnell, life has clearly been ALL ABOUT JESUS.

I really enjoy coming into our church for morning worship after Sunday School classes. Almost every Sunday I see Mrs. Darnell making the rounds among those gathering for the service, loving on everyone she talks to, smiling and laughing and asking about family members—in a word, mothering and lifting up as many folks as she can get to—she almost always ends up having to return to her seat as the worship team begins the first praise song. These days, Coach Darnell welcomes folks who approach him from all over the sanctuary to greet him and receive his thumbs up, his smile, his good and hearty words of encouragement, along with good-natured jokes about some of those who have been coached by him. As you can see, both Darnells know how to make every person feel valued and appreciated.

Coach and Mrs. Darnell
always enjoy time with
their family.

Now, all of us who know them definitely admire their successful coaching career. Any coach worth his title will agree, coaching is family business. The whole family gets caught up with the intensity of the mania that is high school football in Alabama. Having won a state championship, county titles and who-knows how many games over the years, Coach and Mrs. Darnell deserve a lot of respect. Over the years, I understand from Jan and Kelly, their daughters, who supported the cause as cheerleaders at Glencoe; that coaching took the family from Glencoe as an assistant coach, to Clay County High school, to Hanceville, to Emma Samson, to Siluria, and finally back to Glencoe as Head Coach in 1968. Coach and Mrs. Darnell decided to make Glencoe the home where they would plant their family, so that both Jan and Kelly were able to graduate there. After that, Coach Darnell continued his renowned coaching career at other north Alabama schools.

A distinguished looking couple
reflect a devoted and
distinguished career.

For years, Mrs Darnell served as  the director of the upper elementary school-age children in Sunday School. She has also served as chairperson of the Benevolence Committee, and even now still continues her personal ministry of visitation and encouragement. While my own mother spent several years in assisted living, Mrs. Darnell was one of her most frequent and certainly one of her favorite visitors. I still remember being asked by the Darnells to teach a sixth-grade boys class in Sunday School while I was a senior at Glencoe. This proved to be a great opportunity for me as I was exploring God’s call on my life as a teacher.

Coach Darnell’s arrival at Glencoe continued and developed a desire on the part of the entire school community to work toward excellence in football, in all sports, in band and in every aspect of the school. His high expectations and his insistence on discipline and effort influenced all of us as students to seek the very best, and never to settle for anything less—and as he lived, himself, to do so with clear Christian character. I am reminded of Colossians 3:17 (ESV):

And whatever you do,
in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Coach Darnell led by his own example, and demanded from his teams, and from all of us students, that we work for excellence in all we did, and to do so in a manner that reflected well on our Lord Jesus.

Always teaching!
Always coaching!

He and Mrs. Darnell’s daughters, Jan and Kelly,  testify that former players and students continue to express their gratitude for all that Coach and Mrs. Darnell did for them as they coached and taught and encouraged and demanded the best from them. What a powerful way to invest their lives in focusing on solid achievements in a godly manner. Jan expressed it this way; “Dad has always said that he loved winning and wanted all of his players to be successful, but his priority for them was that they would become known as good Christian people.” I believe, along with many, many people, that both Coach and Mrs. Darnell, have been successful. I do not hesitate to declare that in the eyes of those who know them best, they are truly godly people who have the joy of knowing, themselves, God’s Grace, for they have given Him glory through their lives  definitely characterized by greatness.

Dependable! That’s the perfect word for Coach Lyle and Mrs. Lou Darnell. Everyone  in our church and throughout our Glencoe community find a sense of encouragement in knowing how they just keep on keeping on living out their lives faithfully as their testimony to the goodness of God in the person of Christ. Join me in praising God for such lives.

IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS!!!

THE GLORY OF GOD IN A HUMMINGBIRD:
IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS

(This post is dedicated to Janet Acton,
the most miraculous
hummingbird whisperer I know.)

There is no more
mesmerizing creatures among God’s work
than the amazing
hummingbird.

MATTHEW 6:26 ESV

Look at the birds of the air;
they neither sow nor reap
nor gather into barns,
and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they?

”AND NOW, LITLLE HUMMINGBIRD . . .”

”And now, take form, tiny, little hummingbird . . .”
God must have grinned, then smiled
as He added a whimsical touch
to all the birds which filled the air,
declaring for all the angels who applauded
His intention for yet
another creature to fly through
the air, speeding from blossom to blossom,
faster than birds so much larger,
occasionally stopping
to hover in the air, able to zoom
east, west north or south; . . .
a perpetual intimidator
determined to find
and secure the energy
it needs to keep flying . . .
flawlessly engineered by its Master
Designer, able to fly
by itself greater distances
than others would dare to attempt—
perfectly fitted by God for its place
in His grand design for
Creation—just one more testimony
to God’s delight in perfection.

All the beauty of nature all around me has always spoken powerfully as a testimony to God’s creative power , His authority and most surely, His Love.  As I am blessed in this way, I certainly know that I am not alone. David in the Psalms writes beautifully of the splendor of God’s Creation. I imagine we all have particular beauties in nature which touch us most deeply. For me a walk on the beach in the night with the moon and stars shining overhead, and the waves majestically breaking upon the shore—well, in such moments God truly inspires me as I consider His greatness. Standing on top of a mountain top, or on the edge of a deep and grandiose valley or canyon—again I find myself awe-stricken before such a mighty testament to God’s greatness. Gazing in the delighted face of a beautiful young child—I just have to praise God for such unmitigated joy. Or looking into the glimmering, almost mischievous eyes of a wise, older saint—that assures me God is good and treasures His people. Well, I could continue—but I won’t -here’s the point—even in its fallen state, all of nature testifies to a God who loves and creates beauty straight  from His heart.

Hummingbirds have to eat
every fifteen minutes
to keep their high
metabolism fueled.

Now that I call myself retired, I can spend more time among the colorful flowers in our yard—and that makes me very, very happy;  for each flower reveals one more particular and precious piece of God’s glory. I thrill to the sight of butterflies dancing in the air from blossom to blossom, enjoying God’s generous banquet for their continuous  and sumptuous feeding. However, these past few weeks I have been absolutely enthralled by the hummingbirds buzzing and darting across our lawn, from flower to flower and from feeder to feeder, unintentionally showing off an array of miraculous traits which express in a hurry God’s glory.

As I finish up my Quiet Time on our deck each morning, I find great joy in watching the hummingbirds competing for the nectar available in our backyard feeder. On occasion, during the summer, they have buzzed up into my face as if to get a closer look at this weird giant in their very own flower garden. Just this week I was watering flower beds while one humming bird was hopping from one blossom to another, seeming to enjoy a shower in the hot afternoon. But the highlight of my summer came as I went out front one morning to see five hummingbirds at our feeder on the front porch, four of them feeding at once, while the other waited impatiently for its turn.

The hummingbird’s tiny, yet elegant form, the complexity of God’s design for this small bit of His creation, the quickness of its dazzling maneuvers, the strength of its wings and its seemingly fragile yet indomitable body—all give brilliant testimony to our Maker’s artistic hand. When we understand how He spoke and each creature was formed, I can just imagine the grin on His face and the twinkle in His eye when he said, “, . . . and now, take form, my own little hummingbird.”

What a mighty God we serve,
who takes time to perfect
the form of the beautiful
yet powerful hummingbird.

Obviously God had a tiny bird in mind, and yet a tiny bird with such incredible abilities and habits. A hummingbird weighs as little as 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Look at those wings which beat faster than any person could actually  count. Notice how one moment, it may hover almost in your face, yet in the very next instant, disappear way up into the largest tree in the yard. Also, when you look at its beak extended for consuming the nectar of life it must have almost constantly to live. Hummingbirds are faster, smaller, able to change directions, able to eat more, able to fly  further—definitely one of a kind among the birds of the air.

It would take quite a team of engineers to design and develop a production process to manufacture such a creature as the hummingbird. Obviously only our great God could work such a creative miracle. The wings have to be light and oh, so strong. The beak has to be strong and long—able to reach into flowers and into feeders to siphon up the nectar of life. They can do that 13 times per second. Those same wings have to be so strong to carry the hummingbird thousands of miles as they migrate from place to place. Some travel over 2000 miles twice a year. And proportionally, the hummingbird has a giant brain—has to have such a complex brain to perform all of the intricate function required for such a life. Studies have revealed hummingbirds can not only remember their migratory routes from year to year, but even recall every flower they have visited, and even recognize certain people.

Next time a hummingbird buzzes right up into your face
just realize his brain is
about twice the size of
yours in proportion to your own—
he is just sizing you up!

No predator can fly so fast as the hummingbird. Just watch a pair of hummingbirds race to and from a feeder, and your own mind will be spinning. This allows the hummingbird the ability to eat bugs and drink nectar, which, in turn, builds up their strength for the complexities of the tasks they perform each day. Hummingbirds were definitely never designed for being caught.

About the length of a finger, hummingbirds possess such strength as would make a bear proud. Using their tiny wings, they travel enormous distances to keep themselves in warm climates. Throughout their day they are constantly flying, seeking nourishment to keep their enormously needy heart pumping and providing energy. A hummingbird’s heart beats 225 times a minute at rest, but more than 1200 times a minute in flight. They have been clocked at 30 miles per hour in flight. They do rest, however, by going into torpor, or into a very deep sleep.

The female lays two eggs
in a tiny nest. Once hatched, the hummingbirds
leave the nest in a
mere three weeks.

Imagine this tiny mother
adding to her constant
hunting and feeding,
gathering enough for
her two nestlings.

Above all, I think I admire most about the hummingbird, their uniqueness in the ordering of God’s world. They are incredibly tiny. And yet, they are amazingly active and strong. They go their own way, living and feeding and thriving alone. They eat more continuously than almost any other creature. In creating the hummingbird, God has demonstrated His attention to detail, to His delight in beauty, to His determination to provide His creatures with all they need to thrive. Although among the tiniest of beasts, hummingbirds are among the mightiest in revealing God’s loving care and His attentiveness in the process of creation.

As Jesus says, God’s care for His creatures is a powerful example of His care for us. He definitely cares for the hummingbird and gives plentiful provision for its care. He cares for us and provides for our own care. We must trust Him and praise Him and serve Him. After all, when it comes to life: IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS. Ask the next hummingbird you can catch!

Psalm 8:1 ESV
“Oh, Lord, our Lord
how majestic is your name
throughout the earth!”

CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
LUDOWICI, GEORGIA:
TRULY “A LITTLE CORNER OF HEAVEN”
IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS

Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up
one another to love and good works,
not neglecting to meet together,
as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another,
and all the more
as you see the Day drawing near.

A LITTLE CORNER OF HEAVEN

In this way too often rough and tumble world
where people are always getting trampled
as they daily run all the races
life so often demands from us as
we find ourselves back at the starting line
again and again;
we all need those who will stand up and cheer us
on with all the Love of Christ and the
power of the Holy Spirit
inspiring us with with hope and
and joy and the energy
we need to win in Him
who is our God and more than all we ever need
for every race we have to run for Him
as He strengthens and upholds
us every step we take around the
track as He declares His glory
for His holy Kingdom
while every runner truly competing for Him
discovers His power driving them towards
His victory lap when His prizes
all are won and where He welcomes
them, every single one at last
Home forever with Him.

Sometimes our lives do seem like a race that never ends. I remember vividly how overwhelmed I felt, after graduating from university with a teaching degree in English. After spending a wonderful, hectic ten weeks of one more summer missions adventure with the Etowah Baptist Association, I drove the longest trip of my life from northeast Alabama down to extreme southeast Georgia, to Ludowici,
where I had been hired to teach high school English. In my well-used Chevy I drove with many of my few belongings, while my parents drove with me in their car and the remainder of my worldly goods. As it turns out, the only option for a place to live, ended up being one room, sharing a bath with occasional overnight guests in the house of Mrs. Howard,  a true matriarch of the town, Ludowici. Believe it or not, in that room, there was a baby bed where I could stack some of my stuff. Needless to say, as I prepared to begin my first teaching assignment, I was overwhelmed.

My first day at school one of the lunchroom ladies shooed me away from the teacher’s line, assuming I was some smart-alek, new student trying to fool them into giving me extra food. To me the students appeared like giants, rough-and-tumble wilderness dwellers (for Ludowici was surrounded on all sides by tall pine forests and swamps), who (boys and girls alike) as it turned out, hunted  deer, wild pigs, and other critters who ran in those woods.Yes, I felt very much intimidated. Still in the classroom things went reasonably well for a brand new teacher among some very grown up students.

Sometimes the smallest
churches have the
biggest hearts.

Obviously, I needed Christian brothers and sisters. I needed a church family. I needed a church home. I had a fellow English teacher, Faye Harper, who invited me to her church, Calvary Baptist. So I went, and i immediately felt like I was home. The people gathered me in as if I were some far-fetched distant cousin from Alabama. They really made me feel welcome from that very first Sunday. Fay played the piano; she really played beautifully. Visiting with these friendly folks before and after Sunday School, and then after worship, seemed like getting to know family I had never met before. It was a small church with a great big heart. On the church’s outdoor sign, I read, “Calvary Baptist Church: Just A Little Corner of Heaven.” The folks in that church fully lived out that beautiful reality. As a homesick, inexperienced teacher, God gave me people who would treat me like family and so help me handle all of the challenges living and teaching in Ludowici would bring my way.

Before I knew it, as I joined the church, Mrs. Mary Howard, the youth Sunday School teacher, invited me to join her as her assistant. Now Mrs. Howard was a great role model and always taught a lesson that reached both the youth and myself with great Bible truths for living. She also generously gave me opportunities to teach, often enough to keep me on my toes. She just as kindly encouraged me, as I got to know her big family, two of whom were students at Long County High School, where I was teaching. The youth were as welcoming and friendly as were their families.

Carolyn Mock, her husband, Norman, and their Son, Andy;
took time to love me and my
young teacher colleagues
in the name of Jesus.

Speaking of families, Norman and Carolyn Mock, and their son, Andy went way, way beyond the second mile to make me feel welcome. They actually welcomed me as if I were an older son. We did a lot of teasing and laughing together. We ate together. We certainly worshipped and prayed together, because for the Mock family, life centered on their faith and living it out in joyful, hard-working, yet always celebratory living. Norman worked for the Georgia Highway Department, Carolyn worked as Church Secretary for the First Baptist Church, and Andy enjoyed the typical school boy life filled with sports, friends, church activities and studies as time allowed. They always made me feel at home. Carolyn had a particular interest in WMU, like my own mother, and so that resonated in my heart in the process of being called into missions. Norman served as a deacon and gave strong leadership within Calvary church, always focusing on Scripture and doing things the Lord’s Way.

Holy hospitality characterized the entire church. They welcomed all of us “foreign” teachers with open arms. They welcomed families from deep inside the forests. They welcomed military families associated with Fort Stewart located in the next town on the road to Savannah. In fact, Mr. Harley Freeman often took a teacher friend of mine, Felicia Butler, and I on an old bus way outside of town to visit families, to offer to pick up their children for Church on Sundays. Everyone who showed up at Calvary felt a genuine, a loving welcome. What an inspiration! What a an example to follow.

It seems that Calvary continues
to be filled up with really
friendly people.

In fact, Calvary Church so welcomed me, and I grew so quickly into feeling at home,  that it was after a Week of Prayer for International Missions in early December, 1974, when I received a clear call to surrender my life for missions service. I had been challenged by the prayer program, and afterward  as I drove outside Ludowici on a star-lit night made even brighter by a full moon, and as I looked into the heavens, God’s Spirit spoke to me. Basically He said, “Mike, take a look back over your life. Notice the people. Notice the experiences. Remember the teaching God’s men and women have proclaimed about my love for all  the all the world. Notice, it all makes sense—I have been preparing you to take my Good News in Jesus which has so blessed you—to people who have not yet heard how much I love them. So, what are you going to do?” For me it all fit together so beautifully. God had always been preparing me so thoroughly for His Call. I was filled with joy as I said say yes to His Call.

Calvary BaptistChurch became for me “the little corner of Heaven”
I needed to hear and respond to
God’s Call into missions.

Thank God for Calvary Church and its loving, caring ways—its simple offer to welcome me into their church family, for encouragement, spiritual challenge, glorious fellowship, and opportunities to grow through service. All the precious time I spent at Calvary, I really did feel like I was very much at home, spiritually freed up to hear God’s Word, carefully consider His call on my life, and respond. I will always treasure my time at Calvary where I was extremely blessed to enjoy their loving, “little corner of Heaven.”

IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS;
A WONDERFUL SAVIOR
FOR BEAUTIFUL WOMEN

Luke 24: 1-12 ESV

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn,
they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.
And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
but when they went in they did not find
the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were perplexed about this, behold,
two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.
And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground,
the men said to them,
”Why do you seek the living among the dead?
He is not here, but has risen.
Remember how he told, while he was in Galilee,
that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men
and be delivered into the hands of sinful men
and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
And they remembered his words,
and returning from the tomb they told all these these things
to the eleven and to all the rest.
Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and
Mary the mother of James and the other women with them
who told these things to the apostles,
but these words seemed to them an idle tale,
and they did not believe them.
But Peter rose and ran to the tomb;
stooping and and looking in,
he saw the cloths by themselves;
and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Beautiful Women

Beautiful women glow from their hearts
wholly surrendered to their Lord Jesus
just like these brave women
up early and seeking
some loving service they could perform
for Him whose life had compelled them to
follow and learn from His
miraculous teaching:
they had pondered His glorious presence,
wondered at His powerful healings,
admired His incredible
and His holy nature;
and still there are noble women
seeking to serve Him  who is their Lord and
their Redeemer as He
makes them so much like Him—
loving and giving and serving
and healing,  using compassion ever
blessing, forgiving;
these are the most beautiful of
women as they build up His own Kingdom
reaching out into this world,
giving as they’ve been given.

The Love Of Jesus
Makes Every Woman
Beautiful

From even before the beginnings of the Church after the life, death, burial, resurrection, appearances, and ascension of our Lord Jesus, women have played a foundational and  crucial role in serving Jesus and building His Church. Just look at the life and work of any local church and you will find strong and faithful women serving, strengthening and undergirding the life and witness of God’s people. (Of course, you will also find strong and faithful men also serving, but this week I have stories to tell about heroically faithful women.) In the churches which have blessed me throughout my lifetime, I have found, without exception that women often take on a hefty share of the opportunities available for those who would serve the Lord.

As Becky and I worked for many years in Africa among Nigerian and Nigerien Christians, we could not help but be impressed by the women of those African churches who  mentored and prepared us as they contributed mightily to the life and service of our various faith families. In both Nigeria and Niger strong women’s groups provided stirring, joyful and worshipful music accompanied by enthusiastic dancing—making every Sunday service or special gathering an exhilarating  expression of love and worship for our Lord Jesus. In our smaller church, Goudel Baptist, in Niger, three older women set the tone in glorifying the Lord through their always welcoming presence, and in their mighty, fervent prayers. The women’s group led the way in mission outreach, traveling together outside Niamey, the capital city, to minister and witness to various unreached people groups. The women’s choir also joined other groups in presenting public concerts as a means to share the Gospel in a heavily non-Christian nation. In the life of this wonderful church, the women served as a foundation and as a source of joy, energy and zeal for sharing the Gospel of Jesus.

There is always
joy in Jesus.

In Nigeria women in the churches worked just as faithfully; in worship, in prayer, in teaching the children and youth, and in missions outreach. The Nigerian Baptist Convention’s Women’s Missionary Union involved huge numbers of women throughout the country in praying for missions, giving to missions and going to join in missions work in Nigeria and in other neighboring  counties. The beauty of these Nigerien  and Nigerian women’s faithful service is that they were following in the footsteps of women in the Bible  and also  in the beautiful footsteps of the missionary women who had mentored them.

Here is the message for us: Jesus clearly honored and upheld women throughout His ministry, and in return they faithfully followed, learned from Him and chose Him as their Lord and Savior. Throughout our ministry in Africa, we both  found ourselves inspired and challenged and mentored by missionary women doing a wide variety of service in Jesus’ Name. We certainly learned from women who were teaching, counseling, writing, publishing, doctoring, nursing, advising churches, leading at the Convention, Conference and Association level. In general we admired them as they witnessed tirelessly through their personal, family and professional lives. Indeed, there were large areas of Nigeria where the only missionaries present were women. So, they gladly did what needed to be done

to win people to Jesus, to meet the the needs of people in Jesus’ Name. This has been true  throughout our Baptist missionary  presence in Nigeria for almost 175 years. Praise the Lord. Let me mention just a handful of the remarkable ladies we were blessed to know as they did everything imaginable to introduce people to the overwhelming Love of God in Jesus.

Women in West Africa, like women everywhere,
search for meaning as they live out often difficult lives filled with hard labor.

Emogene Harris

At one point in our lives in Nigeria, our family traveled a long day’s journey from Jos down into the East to Enugu, to see the dentist. There we stayed with Emogene  Harris, who served as the Missionary Advisor to Baptist Churches in that area of the country. Now, Emogene, from MIssissippi, always behaved as a traditional, a charming southern lady; and yet she worked harder than most men, and served those churches and their pastors faithfully, never drawing attention to herself, but always building faith among the people and their leaders—pointing them again and again to Christ. Emogene so obviously loved her Lord Jesus, and so obviously loved all people—her life of love became a powerful testimony to the Christ she served. She trained and taught with the best of them. She had the strength and the faith to keep these she loved so deeply, on track and moving in the right direction to build the Kingdom of our Lord. She certainly led by example, never gave anything less than her best to win people to the Lord, to disciple them, and to encourage them as they joined and served alongside her. And the glory of it is, Emogene was only one among a large group of women who served so faithfully in places no one else was willing or able to go.

Dr. Martha Haygood
Jackie Legg

Over the years we met many outstanding missionary doctors and nurses. Dr. Martha Hagood, had come from long years of service in Japan to serve in Nigeria at the Eku Baptist Hospital. A tiny woman, she had a huge heart, a powerful personality, and excellent skills as an ob-gyn doctor. Her determination and will served her Lord and her patients well, as she gave each patient every bit of the medical skill she had developed, along with hearty, faithful prayers—and the results—many, many miracles of healing to the glory and in the name of Jesus. Also serving at Eku for many years as a Nursing Instructor, Jackie Legg, nursed and taught with the best of them. She also served and loved the Lord with extraordinary passion, leading her deep into the power of prayer and spiritual growth in the Lord. As a result, He glorified Himself as she prayed, taught Scripture, counseled and led people to spiritual breakthroughs in a mighty, mighty way. She and her husband, Gene, became loving spiritual mentors to many Nigerians and also, many missionaries and MK’s.

Medical missions involves the service of many dedicated doctors and nurses as they minster in Jesus’ Name.

Bettye Ann McQueen

Bettye Ann McQueen loved and ministered to who knows how many Nigerian university students throughout her many years in Nigeria—and as the Lord willed, during a time when the Holy Spirit was pouring out His Spirit in a remarkable way in the lives of university students throughout the country. At ABU in Zaria and as the Baptist Student Fellowship leader for the Nigerian Baptist Convention in Ibadan, Bettye Ann discipled students and developed deeply spiritual study materials for them as the Lord captured their hearts and minds and molded them for dynamic Christian leadership the exercise even now, giving direction and purpose for Christian outreach and missions in Nigeria and throughout the world.

Dale Moore
Roberta Fine

Becky had the privilege of getting to know two extraordinary women during her two years of missionary service in Port Harcourt. Dale Moore  oversaw the Baptist Churches in the large and important city of Port Harcourt. Like Emogene Harris, Dale became a shepherdess to the shepherds of many churches, small, medium, and large. She mentored, discipled, advised and prayed with these pastors and other Christian leaders throughout this oil rich city. She also mothered and mentored young  Journeymen missionaries like Becky. Roberta Fine served with her husband Earl, as they ministered up and down the coastal rivers, often traveling by boat to remote villages to evangelize and establish churches among the many tribal groups of that region. Like Dale, she also mentored and mothered Becky and other missionary journeymen. Like Dale, she was an ever faithful witness for her Lord  Jesus.

For women there is joy in worshipping and serving their Lord Jesus.

Sherry Woods

Sherry Woods originally traveled to Nigeria to serve with the WMU of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, to assist in their youth programs. After spending her first term of service working with them out of the Ibadan WMU, Nigerian Baptist Convention  headquarters, she spent some time in the U.S, helping to care for her ailing father, while receiving further training for counseling. Then she came to Jos as the Guidance Counselor at Hillcrest School, an international school which met the educational needs of missionary children from all over the world. Sherry strongly impacted many, many MK’s for Christ, even as she gave excellent educational counseling and preparation for their future lives. She also trained other women and older students for mentoring young women in their faith walk. She particularly loved participating in an effective prison ministry, also in Jos. In all of this Sherry LOVED people, LOVED making people relax and have fun,  and LOVED discipling people, leading  Masterlife and Experiencing God groups. She even led all of us Baptist missionaries in Jos together as we studied Experiencing God. And she became the best of all aunts to every single one of the Baptist MK’s in Jos, hosting sleep-overs, birthday parties and all kinds of fun extravaganzas for every MK lucky enough to call their her Aunt Sherry.

Angel Oswood

In her quiet, consistent manner, Angel Oswood has fulfilled many of these same roles as a missionary over the years, She has played the role of mission aunt well, and has faithfully mentored and encouraged Nigerian Christians. But her love has always been teaching the Bible in schools where pastors and their wives are trained for ministry. And she has always put in countless hours of preparation and planning so that the Holy Spirit has been able to use her teaching and her mentoring to train godly and faithful pastors and wives and missionaries to serve in some very tough places as they have established and strengthened churches among the unreached peoples of Nigeria.

You know, I have to say it again: IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS. It‘s all about His holy love which draws women and men to Him, eager to receive and return that love in repentance and in their commitment to Him of everything He has made them to be. The New Testament gives us such beautiful stories of lives changed for the better forever, changed so much as His Holy Spirit enabled them to mirror that love gloriously, Then others were drawn, not to them but to this Jesus who  was their Savior, their Shepherd and their Lord. Join me in praising His Holy Name for these and multitudes of missionary women who have devoted themselves to His service and His glory, much to the joy of those  who like us have been privileged to experience His power to redeem through their beautiful lives.

African Christian women share their joy
in Jesus as they lead worship times
in their churches.

AN APOLOGY

I must apologize to the dozens of missionary women who so inspired our lives while we served in Africa. There are too many to name in this post; but not only for our lives, but  for those of countless others who have been truly blessed and inspired for service as they  so lovingly and tirelessly worked for our Lord Jesus. He knows your names. He knows your hearts. He knows the impact you each have made for His Kingdom. I know you are blessed in Him. We are eternally grateful for how beautifully He blessed us through each of you.

Acts 1:8 ESV
“But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,
and you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem and in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”