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"RECIPE" FOR A BRIDE
Recently my Pastor was scheduled to hold church services at the Nursing Home where my wife is a long term resident patient. Somehow or other I became a last minute replacement and was given only a moments notice. As a matter of fact he didn’t even bother to ask, he came right and said, "You’re going to have to do this for me, as I have a meeting with my doctor in Meridian at the same time I am scheduled for services at the Nursing Home!"
Promptly, at 10:00 AM I made my appearance before an audience of senior citizens that greeted me warmly.
It had been a year ago almost to the day since I awoke about 2:00 o’clock in the morning. I was in no pain but I realized that something was wrong with me. I stumbled into the bathroom and when I flipped the light switch my right arm was twisting and turning every which way and try as I must I could not control it! It was comical in a way and I was actually attempting to laugh while trying my best to say, "Man, you have had a stroke." I realized then that I was unable to talk!
Prior to my stroke I had faced this same audience many, many times before, especially as a host of a weekly scheduled discussion group but never had I attempted to hold a church service, anywhere or at anytime!
Since my stroke I have been truly blessed with the progress I have made over the past year and with the help of my speech and my physical therapists I was able to learn how to talk again and recoup the use of my right arm. I still have some problems with my speech but the worse thing is my inability to read out loud. That is the reason I was forced to cancel the discussion group. It was almost an impossible task and progress was extremely slow. I just couldn’t do it!
Minutes before the scheduled meeting I was wondering what I was going to say or do and I kept praying that God would somehow give me words and the ability to deliver them.
That was when I decided to use an old story of washday instructions of four generations ago that was in our church bulletin the day before and had been inserted into my Bible, 2nd Timothy just opposite Chapter 4.
"RECIPE" FOR A BRIDE
1. Bild a fire in the back yard to heet kettle of water.
2. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes.
3. Shave one hole cake of lie sope in bilin water.
4. Rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, then bile. Rub cullord things but don’t bile.
5. Take white things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rench, blew and starch.
6. Hang clothes on grass or fence and then pore rench water on flower bed.
7. Go put on a cleen dress, smooth hair with side combs, brew cup of tea, set and rock a spell and count blessings.
I opened the service with a short, but yet, a joyous prayer of praise. This was followed by their favorite hymn Victory in Jesus!
I read the "Recipe" and followed that with a reading of Chapter 4 of 2nd Timothy. Somewhere around Verse 6 it suddenly dawned on me that I was reading aloud and doing a good job of it. It was when I finished reading I knew my prayers had been answered.
Every last person there could go back four or five generations and every lady there had done their laundry in the exact same way. They couldn’t wait to share their experiences with everyone as if these things had only happened yesterday. We had a ball!
I did remind them and inquired how many of the modern day appliances, technological blessings, they were privileged to introduce and pass on to their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren? Practical tools that became everyday blessings that no other generation before had ever known!
And better still, how many could remember the discipline of the true blessing of our Christian faith and heritage that they were instrumental and responsible for passing on to their families over these many long years.
We agreed that in our lifetime we had seen more change than any other generation in history and that we have been blessed beyond measure well beyond our allotted three score and ten.
I re-read verses 6, 7 and 8 from the Living Bible for clarity.
"I say this because I won’t be around very much longer. My time has almost run out. Very soon I will be on my way to heaven. I have fought long and hard for my Lord, and through it all I have kept true to him. And now the time has come for me to stop fighting and rest. In heaven a crown is waiting for me which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And not just for me, but to all those whose lives show that they are eagerly looking forward to His coming back again."
I added, "You have fought the good fight. You have run the race. You have kept the faith. You have stood in harms way in an evil and corrupt world and tried your dead level best to make it better. Now, like Paul, it is your time to rest as you also look forward to rejoice in the greatest adventure of them all – an eternity with your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
We closed the service with Amazing Grace a cappella as we really listened to the words of this beautiful hymn!
It was amazing!
I now know, that with God, all things are possible. Even with a moments notice!
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