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

 

 

Pray for Peace

People ask me, "Have you lived here all your life?" My husband says, "Not yet, I haven't." I have lived in Vinita, Oklahoma, most of my life except for 7 years back in the early 70's. I came home in 1977 and have lived here ever since.

 It used to be a "two-stop-light town" but now we have 4 stop lights.

 Most of the graduates of my Vinita High School Class of 1967 just wanted to get away from here, no matter where they went. You can find Vinitans in Dallas, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Tulsa....especially Tulsa. You can't even walk through the mall in Tulsa without running into someone  from Vinita.

 There are some people who live here now who would give anything to be able to get away from Vinita. They would go anywhere just to get out, but they are stuck here because of financial setbacks or family ties.

 God cannot change the situation you are in until you learn to be happy where you are. God doesn't cause your troubles and trials; the devil brings some things on you, but some you bring on yourself. Paul said, "I have learned whatever state I am in, there to be content."

 When you learn to say, "Lord, I don't know why you want me to live in this town, but as long as I am here, I am going to like it," then you may learn to like it so well, that you won't want to live anywhere else. On the other hand, God may open the door for you to move to some other town you like better.

In the meantime, instead of cursing Vinita, start praying for Vinita and blessing Vinita, (or whatever town you live in.)

 "And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace." Jeremiah 9:7

 Like my daddy always said, "Just be happy."

 

Seasons of Life

Warm days, cool nights. Rainy days. Leaves turning autumn colors. I love the seasons of the year. Can't say which I love more. Each has its own special treats.

Seasons change. Nothing stays the same. We are born, we live, we die. Some have called it futile, but there is a peace in knowing that each season follows the one before. When seasons are disrupted, it causes confusion and uncertainty.

When we have a warm spell in the winter, nature sends forth buds and leaves, which are killed by the next freeze. A late freeze in spring kills the fruit on trees. 14 inches of snow in March when gardeners are preparing their soil for planting is not normal.

Here, of course, I am speaking of weather in the Heartland of America-Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas. I don't know about weather and seasons in other parts of the country. And I can't even guess what it is like in other parts of the world, like Australia or Africa.

Genesis 8:22 NKJV says "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease." This was a promise from the Lord. Noah came out of the ark after more than a year and built an altar to the Lord God Jehovah, sacrificing burnt offerings on the altar. Then the Lord spoke to Noah, making a covenant of blessing with him. God promised never to destroy all the earth with a flood again and as a sign of His promise, He set a rainbow in the cloud.

This promise included the seedtime and harvest, winter and summer. There is something very reassuring in knowing that while the seasons change, they will always remain. As long as there is an earth, as long as the earth remains, there will be seasons.

I was young, I became a teenager, married, had children, have grandchildren, now growing older, when I reach my 90's on earth, and am satisfied with my life, then I will lay my life down to go be with my Saviour and my Lord Jesus Christ.

Seasons change, seasons remain, as long as the earth remains--this is God's promise to me.

Mother Hen

Once a week, my 97-year-old mother gets a full shower, her hair washed and set, and her nails trimmed and filed. Sometimes we polish her fingernails. When I give her a choice of color she always chooses a light pink almost pearl color.

I can remember as preteen girls, my sisters and I would polish her nails. We curled her hair, even cut it, and gave her permanents. When we were young we believed our mother was the prettiest mother there ever was, but as we grew up into our teen years, our mother seemed old-fashioned and behind the times.

I got married, moved about 100 miles away, and settled into work, but I still felt so attached to my mother and family that I came home to Vinita almost every two weeks. I didn’t care what it cost to drive home. The town we had moved to never became home.

After my first child was born, I continued to return to Vinita bringing him to visit my mother and mother-in-law. When he was sick, I called Mother and she’d catch the bus down to help me take care of him. When I was divorced and moved back to Vinita, I moved my mobile home next door to Mother to live, and once again, she was the one who helped me with everything.

Mother and I have had our ups and down, probably because we are both stubborn and mule-headed, but I learned as I matured that my mother was truly my best friend even during those times we butted heads.

Jesus stood looking out over Jerusalem. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood [chicks] under her wings, but you were not willing.” Luke 13:35 NKJV

Jesus, our Savior, our Lord, our Master, our Healer, and yes, even our mother hen who watches over her little children, gathering them under wings of love to protect us in troubled times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puppies Under the Table

One of my earliest and happiest memories is of our family’s little reddish-blonde cocker spaniel. We have pictures of him with us in about 1958 in which you can see my hair is the same color as his. Then we had a black and white doggie named ……what was his name? Spot? Tippy?

Another one I remember well was our next-door-neighbor’s dog. He was a big, husky, long-haired dog, who followed our friend Velta around all the time. He was very over-protective of her.

Our little dog when I was a teenager was black with a tiny bit of white and brown. Probably part dachshund, with short legs, short hair, and the prettiest eyes. She was a mouser. She’d start nosing around, sniffing, whining, and we’d just let her go. Soon she’d be dragging a mouse out of the closet.

We are so attached to our little pets, as they become part of our families. Some people might not consider our pet animals to be a very spiritual thing, but in the New Testament Jesus spoke about dogs. A little lady came to Jesus asking for healing for her daughter.

 

 ^“Then he said to the woman, “I was sent to help the Jews—the lost sheep of Israel—not the Gentiles.” But she came and worshiped him and pled again, “Sir, help me!”

 “It doesn’t seem right to take bread from the children and throw it to the dogs,” he said.

 “Yes, it is!” she replied, “for even the puppies beneath the table are permitted to eat the crumbs that fall.”

 “Woman,” Jesus told her, “your faith is large, and your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed right then.” Matthew 15:24-28. The Living Bible.

 

She had the wisdom and audacity to believe that he would want even the little pet dogs under the table to have the crumbs from the master’s table.

 

We are not just his little pets, we are his children, so it is our privilege to sit at the Master’s table and eat the good things God has prepared for us, and not just settle for the crumbs that drop off the Master’s table.

 

 

Missing Out

When I was a kid, the 4^th of July Fireworks show was held at the Vinita rodeo grounds and we could watch from our front yard. Oh, the joy of watching the colors burst against the dark evening sky!

We ooh’d and ah’d as each display was more beautiful, more spectacular, that the one before. A pause between each brought us the expectation of another light bursting forth, then a long pause, followed by more displays. We always agreed this fireworks show put on by the American Legion of Vinita was better than the year before.

Many people I discovered actually went to the rodeo grounds to watch the fireworks show, but we were satisfied to enjoy it from our own yard.

The 4^th of July and the fireworks show was always special to me, more so than some other holidays, with company from out of town. There were always hotdogs and hamburgers, along with watermelon and cantaloupe, eaten outside. We ate our watermelon the old-fashioned way—without forks, and with juice running off our chin and spitting the seeds out into the yard.

Many people went to the rodeo grounds to watch the fireworks show, but we were satisfied to enjoy it from our own yard.

When I was a teen, I went with friends to the rodeo grounds to watch the fireworks for the first time, and imagine my surprise when I realized that the long pause in the middle of the fireworks show was actually a presentation of the US flag on the ground and not in the air. Just think of all that I had missed out on all those years by watching from a distance and not in the arena.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.  But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” I Corinthians 2:9-10. NKJV.

Many of us are missing out on things that we don’t even realize. What are you missing out on in your journey through life? God will reveal it to you if you ask.