Precious Memories

The first time I remember visiting graveyards was when I was 8 in May of 1958. After dinner on the ground at our house in Vinita served on long tables made out of boards, we drove to the cemetery at Bluejacket, Ok. to decorate the graves.

Our California cousins and Wichita cousins had come to visit that summer along with our Uncle Cecil from California who took movies with his new 8mm movie camera. This was the same one he had used in California earlier in the year to take movies of the Rose Parade, mainly concentrating on the bathing beauties and palomino horses that area is so famous for.

Uncle Cecil took movies of my cousin Larry, the "monkey" of the family, doing cartwheels and acting silly. Cousin Donnie who was my age had to show off doing some kind of silly gig and then the Aunts got into the picture showing how to do the Charleston.

In later years, we loved to watch those movies, especially when Uncle Cecil rolled the film backward to show us taking the food out of our mouth when we were eating. Sometimes I wonder how I can remember all those things, but it has been imprinted on my mind, probably by seeing it over and over again in movies.

God is keeping track of all the good times too. Movies will seem so primitive when we get to heaven and learn how He has preserved the memories of our lives.

In I Corinthians 3:12-17, Paul talked about what foundation we are building our lives on-"gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear, for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward." This reward is not salvation, of course, but special rewards for what we have done for the kingdom of God on this earth.

When we stand before the Lord Jesus, the record of our life will be revealed for all to see. Precious memories of my life will never fade away in heaven.

Lights of the Christmas Tree

In the years when we were teenagers, Mama bought a silver aluminum Christmas tree, and we decorated it with all our old decorations she had accumulated over those early years. Our favorite lights were the old-fashioned bubble lights that looked like oil pumping up inside, made to look like a candle.

We had a couple of little plastic reindeer which looked like a rocking horse. I still have one of those plastic reindeer, pink and fragile, probably 60 years old. There was also a little Santa Claus and maybe an angel made out of the same plastic material. We had a beautiful angel to top the tree but I don’t remember much about what it looked like.

I still have a few of those items myself, and have picked up a few over the years. Sorry to say, many of those items have totally fallen to pieces, because items made in the 1940s and 50s were made of a low-quality plastic and were not made to last 75 years.

We loved the silver icicles or tinsel that we threw over the tree branches, and as recently as two years ago, I bought some like them to decorate my artificial tree. I read that the early icicles were made out of lead but the new ones available today are some kind of plastic with a metallic coating.

What does any of this have to do with Christmas? Many Christians have turned away from decorating a tree for Christmas since it was obviously not part of the early-day Christian church’s holiday observations. There are many traditions that have sentimental value to many Christians and I’m one of those sentimental types. My personal opinion is that what the Bible speaks about, I teach. When the Bible is silent, I remain silent.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 NIV

All my memories of Christmases past revolve around the story of Jesus’ birth. He is the Light of the world and that’s what I remember when I see the lights of the Christmas tree.

God's Plan for Me

When I started the third grade, we were assigned a story to write about how we spent our summer vacation. That happened to be the only summer vacation I had ever taken, to California with our cousins.

While we were there, we went to Seal Beach, where we found sea shells and made sand castles in the warm sand. I loved the water, but was also afraid of it. As the shallow water lapped my legs, I enjoyed the warmth, so I moved a little closer to the sea.

I felt the waves climbing higher and higher; first my waist, then my neck, then my mouth. I could taste the saltwater in my mouth and nose. I couldn't breathe. The sun grew dimmer and dimmer. I was going to drown. The waves pulled me out to sea, but just as I was going under for the last time, the strong hands of the lifeguard dragged me back to shore.

However this was happening only in my mind. The gentle waves were too weak to even draw the seashells out to sea, only deep enough to wash the sand off my tiny feet. I had the feeling that I would drown, but my mother and aunts were keeping a close watch on us little ones.

That was the first story I wrote, but that experience stuck with me and I was encouraged to write poetry by a high school assignment. My senior year a poem I wrote in the form of a sonnet was published in the Oklahoma High School English Teachers Anthology.

I’ll never forget the moment that inspiration came to me, when I suddenly saw, really saw a one-way street sign, so that was the first devotional I ever wrote—that there is only one way to heaven, through Jesus Christ.

God has a great plan for us, and I’m so glad that I seemingly stumbled into God’s plan for my life—to be His writer. 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV.

Lavon Hightower Lewis

Remembering Thanksgiving

I found some pictures of a Thanksgiving dinner table at my mother’s taken in 1986. My husband and my dad sat at each end with my younger sister, all our kids, and me on each side and I guess Mother was taking the picture. The two little kids were seated at a little school desk in tiny school chairs. The baked turkey was on a side table with two pies and the table was full of mashed potatoes, dressing, jellied cranberry sauce, and plastic drink cups. The nice china plates were at each place, with forks, knives, and spoons at the correct position. Oh what I would give to go back to that table to eat. 

Mother can’t cook anymore, at almost 98 years gold, but she was a great cook. I know everyone says that about their mother, but our mother has a real claim to fame in our hometown, since she cooked at the school cafeteria for 25 years. Mother and the other cooks went to cook’s school every summer, put on by the state of Oklahoma nutrition program.

Most of the adults who went to school with us remember her great cooking. They remember the homemade yeast rolls, cinnamon rolls, turkey-and-dressing casserole, and peanut butter cookies. The men talk about getting seconds and thirds, especially of the hot rolls, and putting them in their pockets for afternoon recess. They remember her brown beans and cornbread, and chili and beans. 

And that is what Thanksgiving is all about, right? No, not really, but that’s how most of us end up spending the holidays, as if it’s all about food, and family, and fun. Each of us has developed our own family ways of celebrating but as a nation this holiday is important for us to give God the thanks for what He has given us.

“ It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;  To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night.” Psalms 92:1-2. NKJV.

Let’s make Thanksgiving about the giving of thanks again.

Good Plan for Your Life

1910 my grandpa Ela Swift left Missouri and came to Bluejacket, Ok. looking for work. He happened to see a pretty girl named Gertie Taylor who had moved with her family in a covered wagon to Oklahoma. Ela (we pronounce it E-lee) wanted to court Gertie but she wouldn’t go with him unless he was a Christian.

Ela was working in the hayfield with some other men. The men were talking about all the good things God was doing at the revival meeting that was taking place, so Ela said, “If your God is so good, will He heal my lungs?” The men gathered around him, prayed for him, and God healed him.

Ela went to the revival meeting that night and gave his heart to the Lord Jesus. His life was totally changed. He said the Lord delivered him from drinking, smoking, gambling, and a hard life, and he told everyone he came in contact with about what the Lord had done for him. The story was told that Ela would preach to a fencepost if there was no one else around to listen. Everyone loved to hear Brother Ela Swift testify. He’d get happy and start dancing a little. He’d holler,  “Hallelujah” and “Praise the Lord.” You could tell by the way he talked he was a changed man.

 Gertie Taylor started going with Ela Swift and soon they were married, with 8 kids—4 boys and 4 girls. My mother Eunice Swift Hightower is the 4^th child of eight.

Gertie and Ela raised their children in the ways of the Lord. All they knew was going to school and going to church. They drove a wagon pulled by mules with all the kids in the back. He told the girls, “You can fix your hair in the wagon on the way to church.” They all were well-thought of as adults and each one loved the Lord.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

God had a good plan for Ela and Gertie and as a result, the whole family has served the Lord.

Synchronize Your Watches

 

I had to search the internet to find the answer to a question. When was the end of Daylight Saving Time changed from the last Sunday of October until the first Sunday of November?

It all began when someone forwarded a post recently on Facebook saying that the Daylight Saving time change would take place in October, but I knew that wasn’t right. I found that it doesn’t take place until 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Nov. 1, 2015.

God set up the sun, moon, and stars to “serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years.” Genesis 1:14 NIV.  

Remember that famous line in spy movies? “Gentlemen, synchronize your watches.” Set your watches all to the same exact time. You have a mission, so your watches should all be synchronized for the purpose of keeping everyone on track.

Jesus gave His disciples an order, what we call the Great Commission. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 NIV.

Jesus sent the disciples all out at the same time. He said, “You go and make disciples. And remember that when you set your watches and go, I’ll go with you always, every time, because we’ll all be working in unison, synchronized, and on track.”

Each local church won’t have the same exact job, but when each church does its part and when they have synchronized their watches to the heavenly time, the whole world will be evangelized.

God set up the sun, moon, and stars to “serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years.” Genesis 1:14 NIV.  

It’s time that the church gets on track, set our watches, and get ready for our common mission. The church has been called by God to evangelize the whole world.

 

 

 

Shrek the Merino Sheep

There’s a story floating around on the Internet about a Merino sheep which hid out in caves to avoid having his wool sheared. The sheep which has been named “Shrek” ran away from his flock, evading detection, and avoiding being sheared for 6 years.

Two weeks after his capture, he was shorn of 60 lbs of wool. If Merino sheep aren’t sheared, their wool continues to grow, unlike other types of sheep. A normal Merino sheep has about 10 lbs of wool but can grow up to 33 lbs of wool. The 60 lbs of wool from Shrek the sheep is said to be enough to make 20 large men’s wool suits. His shearing was televised live on New Zealand television. After that, he was a national celebrity. He wore a red and white blanket coat to keep him warm after all that wool was shorn.

My favorite picture of Jesus is the one of Him holding the little lost sheep. "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” Luke 15:4 NIV.

The shepherds searched for Shrek the Merino sheep for 6 years before he was found. He was lost, not because something bad happened to him, but because of his own desire to avoid shearing. Maybe he got a little bit lost and then got used to being away from the herd of sheep.

Are you wandering away from the sheepfold, the Church? With every day that you are out in the wilderness, it makes it that much harder to come home. You can be a Christian, but still be wandering, out of contact with other sheep, and away from the sheepfold.

 “For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” I Peter 2:25 NIV.

It’s time to come home to the sheepfold and the Good Shepherd.

Lavon Hightower Lewis