We’ve had another day at home with bitter temperatures, but thank You, Father, for the blessings of a warm home and no need to be out in it. Bless this time to the furthering of Your Kingdom. Amen.

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In cleaning out files today, I came across a baggie of things I had on the wall in front of my desk in college. Some are comics clipped from the newspaper – The Wizard of Id, B.C., and Dennis the Menace. Two are from a Ziggy calendar I had. There are a couple of cartoons from other places (I don’t remember where 40 years later!) And then, there were several passages of Scripture that I had written out with a calligraphy pen.

Some were just for fun, but interestingly, a couple pointed out things that were yet to come in the Lord’s plan for my life. I was studying to be a minister of music, so The Wizard of Id cartoon made me laugh, speaking “less attendance” because of “Mrs. O’Leary in the choir” being “the devil’s work.” Another cartoon referenced a “great children’s church program.” I had no idea that the Lord would lead me to serve full-time in that capacity of ministry for several years.* Then, an additional cartoon focuses on a man from a church speaking to a man in a body cast, stating, “We hope this hasn’t soured you on bus ministry and little children.” And here today, I love the blessing I have to have a “bus ministry,” per se, with “little children”!

God saw what I could not see. But as the passage from Proverbs 16:9 says,

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

I am grateful that God chose to use me in multiple capacities, even with my stumbling and bumbling. Proverbs 16:3 applies,

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

At that point in my life, the early 1980s, I was doing everything I knew to do to ready myself for devoting my life to ministry, but the truth of Proverbs 21:31 speaks loud and clear.

“The horse is made ready for battle, but victory rests with the Lord.”

And only because of the Lord’s direction in my life could I have brought to pass Proverbs 20:5,

“The purpose of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.”

My path is set, the journey continues ahead of me, and my eye is on the prize (Philippians 3:14).

*This picture I discovered while scanning was from 10 years later,
but it was still before I had even thought about children’s ministry.

Jan 17th, 2024, Wed, 3:39 pm (Part 1)