PRAY WITHOUT CEASING-1 THESSALONIANS 17

When I learned that my friend, Esther, had been put in ICU with double pneumonia I decided to go pray with her. 

At times she couldn't talk for coughing and choking. We had to call for a breathing treatment at one point but her concern wasn't for herself. She said one way or another she knows where she will be. Her concern is for her family. 

We talked of waking in the middle of the night with one or the other so heavy on our minds we had to pray immediately and of discovering later why the urgency. We shared our hopes and dreams for our children -the highest on our list is where they will spend their eternity, how they are living their lives.

She said someone asked her once how you can pray "without ceasing" and she said "How can you not when your heart is breaking?" 

A winter storm was coming in so I had to leave but it was sweet visit, besides, she needed to rest. She was to have a procedure done that afternoon to help clear her lungs. If not for the storm my visit would have been later in the day and I might have  missed getting to talk with her. 

For some reason yesterday and this morning, I looked back in last year's prayer journal. Exactly a year ago, my prayers were much the same. Prayers for safekeeping, good favor for "All Mine". A prayer for a safe delivery of great, granddaughter, Kenzley, in a few days. I had also written that it was 0 degrees, the same as today. It's the same in previous year's journals-petitioning the Lord for this one and that one for whatever the need, current happenings locally and worldwide to remind me of the time frame. 

Today there are 20 miles of people on a highway who have been stranded for over 16 hours in Kentucky where there was 2' of snow. That fact will be on today's page in today's journal with today's concerns, today's blessings and today's thankfulness.

I pulled this poem from my notebook yesterday. This post was planned to be written then, not this morning. The poem was written several years ago, it isn't dated as I usually do.

LORD,

I offer my life as a prayer

that each day others will see Jesus there,

that the Samaritan in me shows them I care,

that I will help someone their burdens to bear,

that with those You send me my sweet Jesus I share,

that I will keep loved ones from Satan's dark lair,

that nothing I do gives You cause for despair,

that to You I am daily a breath of fresh air-

LORD, 

I offer my life as a prayer. 

17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thess 5:17-18 

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16 

May God bless and keep you and yours today, and may you be safe and warm

Carolyn Wainscott

This is my favorite praise banner, I loved being able to create it.

FAMILY BAPTISMS

I woke this morning with the thought of sharing the baptisms of some of our family. My photos and videos are some of my most precious things. I record just about everything. I couldn't find other photos that have been taken so went ahead with what is available. 

Mother and son, Cathy and Ryan, were baptized together-isn't that super. Cathy is my niece, my sister, Shirley's daughter and Ryan, of course, is her grandson. 

My grandchildren, Erica and Daniel, were baptized at the same time. They are first cousins. We all attended Pisgah Heights Baptist Church in West Chester, Ohio and took part in Bible School & Sunday School plus the Passion Plays by the Drama Ministry. 

How I would love to have photos/videos of all our baptisms through the years. All have taken place in a church except one.

Youngest grandson, Travis, had made arrangements from college to be baptized when he got home. He had been in contact with his friend, Patrick Lanman, pastor of Olive Branch Baptist Church, near Vevay, Indiana. 

Plans had to be changed from a regular old baptism in church due to my husband's health. Trav wanted his Papaw, the man who had raised him, to be at one of the most important events of his life. Pat's church brought out a portable baptistry on that Saturday morning, set it up and filled it so it would be ready that afternoon. Several of our family came out to be with us including Len's sister, Iretta, who was also quite ill. 

Len was already becoming unresponsive but we know he knew what was going on. He had been there for Trav's whole life and he was present in those moments, too. He passed away two days later. 

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Prov 22:6

I took my children to church, then my grandchildren and now my great, grandchildren. Seeing one accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour is the joy of my life.

May God bless and keep you and yours
Carolyn Wainscott

JUST A LITTLE, THAT CAN'T HURT-AND OTHER LIES WE TELL OURSELVES

As in many families, addictions-alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc.-have had a lot of impact on mine. 

I wish I could nullify, blot out all the damage addictions have caused. I wish I had all the money that is down the drain-not just the cost of the "have to have" but all the fines, fees, loss of work in the aftermath. 

Sometimes it takes years to dig out of the hole we dug for ourselves and our loved ones and sometimes we never get completely out. Then there are the effects on our health, the destruction of our bodies.

JUST SAYIN'

I guess the reason for this kind of "rant" is this poem I ran across the other day that I wrote several years ago. It isn't dated so my best guess is 8-10. At this time there are still consequences being paid from the actions of that time-health issues, deaths, monetary.

JUST

It "just" started with such little things,

"just" a little sneaking round, "just" little disobeyings.

"Just" ignoring God's very own commandments,

"just" not putting God first, "just" not honoring his parents.

"Just" trying that very first cigarette,

"just" not thinking he'd have to look back in regret.

Then the "justs" just got easier and crazier-

just to have more fun to feel just a little jazzier.  

So then he had to try "just" a little smoke

"just" for that higher high he craved when he awoke.

And "just" to intensify his mood, "just" help him think

he began to add "just" a little drink.

Now, he's lost his home and family, sees life with disgust

at all the destruction caused by "just" those "little justs".

It is "just" Satan's greatest fairy tale, "just" his biggest piece of fiction

that all those "little justs" wouldn't destroy him with addiction. 

If he's "just"stood on God's Word, kept all His commandments

he'd have found his true need was "just" God's love, God's peace and God's contentment. 

May God bless and keep you today

Carolyn Wainscott

  

MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME

This falls in the category of things I want my children to know.

In all the boxes and albums of full of photos there is not one of my Granny's home where my brother, Larry, and I were born in 1940 and 1941. I know, I have been searching. There are photos of the front yard, of us playing and posing when we were children but not one of the home. 

When I was two years old and Larry a babe in arms, Mom and Dad came to Cincinnati because there was no work in or around Emlyn, Kentucky. Dad had just gotten out of the CCC project and needed a job to raise his family. A few months after we came to Cincinnati, they went back and brought Granny to live with us but we kids went back with her to spend summers. The height of our day was the train going by every afternoon. The railroad track was just across the road. I also went to the one room school in Emlyn for a time. We were well watched over by Granny, her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Sarah and Cheek Alder who still lived in the house, as they sat on the front porch in their rocking chairs. That is one of my fondest memories-glancing that way from our play to see them sitting there. So fond that I have rocking chairs on my front porch and hope that my great, grandchildren will remember me in my rocking chair watching them play. 

To tell you how long I have been wanting a picture of that house-over 20 years ago, my husband and I were returning from a trip to Gatlinburg  coming up I-75 which runs behind Granny's old  home place. The fact is, when the interstate was built, it split Granny's property in half and took the middle of her land. We drove around through Williamsburg to Rt. 25 that runs through Emlyn so I could get a picture but the house was no longer there. 

The house was built before 1920 by our grandfather, Tom Crockett.  We have the receipt for his purchases to build it.

A couple of weeks ago my sister, Shirley, got a phone call out of the blue from a gal we don't even know. She had been given Shirley's # by a relative in Emlyn. She is researching her genealogy. We are probably distant relatives. She emailed Shirley some photos and lo, and behold, there is Granny's home-the one I was born in along with some other photos that we have along with others we don't have. 

I don't know who anyone is here yet-the banisters weren't on the porch when we were growing up.Larry said the photo was probably taken in the 50's. Am going to try and find out who had the photo originally.

the back of the house-Granny cooked on a wood burning cook stove with a warming oven on the top. I thought there was a tiny room on the back that had a well. It had a cylinder shape that was on a pulley that was dropped down into the well and drawn up for our water. it would have been where the right screen door is. 

we already had these photos but they are handy so here they are-this is our Granny holding cousin, Kenny, son of George with my sister, Shirley, brothers, Larry and Jim and me.

This was probably taken in Granny's front yard. The house in the background would be the Rains' home. 

this was taken in 1918 we think at the side of Granny's house. She is in the first row, left. She is holding George, Mom's brother, Raymond, her older son is at her right, with Tom just behind her. We didn't know some of the people in the picture but we do know now from the email Shirley received. 

This is our grandfather, Tom, holding George. the photo was taken the same day as the above group photo and looks like on the front porch.Shirley has the original in her front hall in its old frame.

 So, I finally have pictures of where I was born in such a roundabout way it is uncanny. I love it. I can't wait to see what else we might find out. 

So, thank you, Janis in Tennessee for sharing all this with us. 

Carolyn Wainscott

DISASTER OR NOT

It was in the 20's yesterday and our furnace and heat pump were being replaced so the house got a little cool. My son, Jeff, has been so aggravated over the furnace situation last winter and this. Repairmen have been out several times, replaced parts, put more freon in-just patching it up to keep it running. It was probably the original  furnace when the house was built and I was aware when we bought it 1 1/2 years ago what we were getting into.  I told him I couldn't get upset over a furnace when there is so much else going on in our world. I am just thankful to be able to get my house warm.

I thought about calling this piece "When Disaster Strikes" but a disaster is losing your whole home to flood or tornado or financial hardship, a disaster is losing a loved one-especially as we have witnessed in terrorists killing for the whole world to see, a disaster is having your family hungry and not being able to do anything about it. Those are disasters, a furnace biting the dust when it can be replaced is not a disaster. 

Now I don't have a money tree in the back yard with $100 bills for leaves that we can go out and pick, neither did it rain pennies from heaven yesterday and we did have to scrape [I do mean scrape] some $ together but we had a home owners warranty that will take care of most of the expense so we aren't so hard hit.  

I have been accused of living in denial at times, well, a lot of the time because I choose to try and look at the bright side of things-at how much worse things could be, at how much more others are going through, at how very blessed I am. 

As I sit here at my window writing this, it is snowing and the temperature is dropping but my home is nice and warm. Each time a repairman came out I could pay for the repair. Yes, there were other things I would rather have done with the money-buy more fabric, shoes, clothes but I could take care of the necessities. 

So here I am living in denial again, looking at the bright side of having dodged the bullet of having to pay for a major repair out of my Social Security. 

And as I sit here at my window, watching the snow, I am choosing to look on the bright side of being 75 years old with good health, a cancer survivor twice over, in my nice warm home with food in the pantry and clothes in my closet and thanking my LORD and Saviour for all my blessings.

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Eph 5:20 

God bless and keep you

Carolyn Wainscott

Psalm 23

David's confidence in God's grace

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalms 23:1-6 

WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME, WRONG CHOICES

There is a trial just coming to a conclusion involving several college kids that will impact all of them for the rest of their lives. 

All those involved seem to be in the top echelon of the school-star athletes, an honor student.

The athletes were found guilty on all counts of rape of the female honor student. 

All said they were too intoxicated to remember anything about the rape including the rape victim. 

One of the football players and the female student had been partying. He brought her back to his dorm and can be seen carrying her around the hall from room to room with the aid of several other young men. He seems to be having a great time as they all do, smiling and laughing on the videos from the security cameras. 

Video and photos were taken, sent across country, in fact, to friends. One responded, according to his own testimony that they had better get rid of her and all the evidence. Now he is also being charged for some complicity and attempting to destroy evidence and he was hundreds of miles away.

Several young men participated in raping the young woman as she was in the drunken stupor, lifeless, unable to defend herself. 

How can that level of debauchery be reached?

 How do people join in such hurtful behavior? 

How and why didn't someone step up and say "Stop" instead of participating?

How can anyone just turn their back and walk away knowing what is going on, especially to someone so helpless?

Is that evil always lurking in our minds just waiting for its chance to come out when the opportunity arises?

Now, for the events of a few hours of "fun", 2 young men with great futures ahead of them have already been convicted and will spend many years in prison and be labeled as sex offenders for the rest of their lives and more trials coming up for others. Their careers ruined. All of them. 

And what of the young woman? Will she be able to get past this? 

And the families, what about the families? One father principally collapsed at the verdict of his son. His pride and joy. Instead of watching him play football and glory in all the hoopla, he will be visiting him and watching him through bars. 

How sad. So many people's lives changed over night. So many hopes and dreams crushed. 

Each and every one of them were in the wrong place at the wrong time making wrong choices and will suffer the consequences along with all those around them.

This morning's Bible verse from Dr. David Jeremiah was:

4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour

Psalms 8:4-5 

Had all those young people remembered the glory and honour that God had crowned them with, honoured the strong, young bodies they were privileged to have, they would now be readying to graduate, starting their careers. Instead, they are graduating into a daily grind of bars, marching to some else's orders and the possibility of the same thing happening to them. 

That is a high price to pay for a few minutes of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time making the wrong choices. I think they would tell all of us that this is just not worth it.

I ask God to be with "All Mine" to keep them safe daily and to lead them into right choices and to keep them out of wrong places and circumstances.

May God bless you and keep you and "All Yours"

Carolyn Wainscott 

HOLD ON MY CHILD, JOY COMES IN THE MORNING

It was Monday morning, wash day in the Spring of 1964. The wringer washer was pulled up to the kitchen sink and filled-no automatic washer or dryer here, the dirty clothes separated into piles of like color and whites. Wash cycles were done, run the clothes through the wringer being careful not to get fingers caught, empty the water with detergent and/or bleach, then refill with clean water for the rinse cycle. I still  think my old wringer washer got my clothes so much cleaner than the automatics but would I want to go back to that-not on your life. 

As I was loading my first load into the water I looked down at my arms and my heart dropped. There were red spots all over both of them and when I ran into the bathroom to look in the mirror, they were all over me. I didn't have to guess what it was. The German measles were going around at school and my son, Jeff, had brought them home. 

I called my doctor to see what I should do because I had just found out that I was pregnant a few weeks before. I couldn't get out because I was contagious. His news at my next appointment wasn't at all good: I was caught in the measles epidemic that was sweeping the country, the first trimester was the worst and the second trimester was next worst for damage the measles could cause. Then he proceeded to tell me all that could go wrong-I had just begun my second trimester. 

There were 6 months left in this pregnancy to have to worry about this child I was carrying. I had been devastated to find I was pregnant to begin with and just as I was getting accustomed to being pregnant again I may be having a baby that could be completely handicapped.

I already had three children under 6 years old. My Jeff was in kindergarten, Kim was 2 in February and Donna wasn't even 1 yet. 

I remember actually asking God what was I going to do, I already had my hands full-did He see what was going on here? I was angry and I kinda, sorta put the pregnancy in the back of my mind, refused to think about it. That is a real fete when you think about ignoring the growth on my front side but I did that.I refused to talk to God about the baby. I did continue teaching Sunday School and even taught for a couple of weeks in Bible School that summer. Getting anywhere was an accomplishment with the bulge on my front, packing Donna on my hip who wasn't walking with Kim hanging onto my skirt and Jeff tagging along usually carrying the diaper bag. 

Oh, I prayed about other things but not the baby I was carrying.  I have thought back over that time. Wondered how I could have pulled that off but I did. Keeping busy with 3 children, just living is what got me through, I guess. 

Sunday evening, October 11, the kids were in the bed and I finally got to sit down to read the paper. I was brought into full reality by the full page spread about the deafness, blindness, retardation the measles I had 6 months before could have on the baby I had pushed to the back of my mind. I was broken and 6 months of prayers and tears took place all through that night. 

The baby was due any time now and I had just been met face to face with what I had put aside these months that could be ignored no longer. At my Thursday, October 15 check up the doctor told me to meet him at the hospital that evening after his office hours-he would induce labor since the baby was ready to be born. I asked him to please just knock me out, I didn't want to be awake for this birth.

Thinking back, checking into the hospital went quickly and quietly, I was put into my room, the doctor came in and broke my water [I know that is a purely technical term], the anesthetist came in with his heavenly brew that would take me to lala land for a little while and off I went. 

Len was the only one there in my room when I woke up, no nurses, no doctor. He told me the baby was a girl and she had been taken directly to NICU. She had weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. but she had been as white as a piece of paper. The doctor told Len he had never seen a baby look like that. 

And that was Melinda Kay. I couldn't see her till the next day when I walked down to the NICU and had to stand outside the nursery looking at her through a large window. The two babies on either side of her were so tiny compared to her. She looked like a mountain laying there between them at her 7 lb. 1 oz. Everything looked perfectly normal, she had all her limbs, all her fingers and toes. I promised God I would make my children the center of my life and raise them to the best of my ability, no matter what, but please make Melinda ok. Don't let anything be wrong with her. 

He did and I did. We took her home a couple of days later. She was fine, oh, and her color was normal, not the white color when she was born. 

 In the summer of 1966, Melinda was playing with the other kids at my feet around the softball field where Len was playing.      The gal sitting next to me was holding a baby boy I thought might be 3 or 4 months old. He was wearing glasses and kind of cooing at her. She told me he was 1 1/2 years old but she had the measles while she carried him. He had never gotten over 11 lbs., he was principally blind, he recognized her voice, he would never walk or talk, he was always sick. As we compared notes it turned out he was only a month or so younger than Melinda and we both had the measles at the same time in the spring of 1964.

That baby boy has been brought to mind many times in these years. Wondering how he was doing or if he was doing at all because that was the only time I ever saw him. God allows us to see what could have been at times, doesn't He?

Here is a paragraph that I pulled from an article online with the stats that shows what Melinda and our family escaped. I thank God, but never, never enough, for answering my prayers for my 50 year old baby girl and for keeping my family safe and healthy through all these years.

      

From 1964-1965, before the development of a vaccine against the disease, a rubella epidemic swept the United States. During that short period there were 12.5 million cases of rubella. Twenty thousand children were born with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).: 11,000 were deaf, 3,500 blind, and 1,800 mentally retarded. There were 2,100 neonatal deaths and more than 11,000 abortions – some a spontaneous result of rubella infection in the mother, and others performed surgically after women were informed of the serious risks of rubella exposure during their pregnancy.

And here she is-cute as a button, well, was [still is but then, I am very prejudiced]:

she is that littlest, squirrely one-they were dressed alike quite a bit-poor little thing got the hand me downs so she must have thought she wore the same thing for years and years

 someone also had a black & white camera at the same time

school day photos- I made the blue dress, don't pay any attention to that gap in her bangs, she was rather handy with scissors

here we are paddling our own canoe

modeling the purse she made in a Girl Scout fashion show

of course, she played softball like her dad, I can hear him screaming now at that high pitch she just swung at-that's him coaching down 3rd base line

yes, we do have the team in an open bed pickup truck, never lost not a one-that's her against the cab

 notice that swing is a little lower-I guess that screaming paid off

crazy girl at home

15 years old-we'll stop there

This post is so "All Mine" will know about another time in my life and theirs. So they may see why I have such a strong faith in God. He is our answer. 

May God bless you

Carolyn Wainscott

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At finishing this, there was still no title. I had talked with my sister, Shirley, last night about this piece since it was started yesterday. At times she is a big help with suggestions. She has just sent 2 texts with Bible verses for possible titles,

 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing

Psalms 30:11 

&

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

Psalms 31:24

I also read the previous verses of Psalm 30:11 and this is one of our mother's favorites: 

weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Psalms 30:5

and she would sit and sing one of her favorite songs from the verse  with tears running down her face

so,
for Mom the title is
"Hold On My Child, Joy Comes In The Morning"

So, thank you Shirley for sending me those verses, they did lead me to my title.