Summerland, Mississippi, is a little community not far from Hot Coffee and Taylorsville. This is my old stompin' ground. My cousins live at Summerland, and we go to their church there for the Gregg family reunion. My cousins, who can sing like birds, pitched in at our last family reunion and made the good old-old time J. B. Coats songs come alive. They invited me to come up to the front and join in, but I could not have added anything to their lovely music.
Summerland is the place where J. B. Coats used to live. Actually, he lived at Gitano, Mississippi, a tiny dot on the map near Summerland. His claim to fame is based on one wonderful song he wrote. (He wrote others, but this one is the most famous.)
Many musicians have recorded this heartfelt song. Here is the version Elvis Presley did:
Quoting the Biography of J. B. Coats:
J.B. Coats was born on April 6, 1901, in Summerland, Mississippi. He attended the schools of his area and was both a student and lover of music all his life...His formal education was continued with study at Mississippi Southern College and Louisiana State University. He also studied music with Julius Rishing, J.E. and Alvis O. Thomas and T.B. Mosley. When just a lad about fourteen, he began teaching music classes and conducting evangelistic singing. Mr. Coats was a teacher in public schools most of his life...He was the composer of many loved gospel songs with "Where Could I Go" haveing been printed and sung most widely. Others of his outstanding songs are "A Wonderful Place", "My Soul Shall Live On", "I'm Winging My Way Back Home", and "Tomorrow May Mean Goodbye". Many of his songs have been recorded by leading quartets and singers...Mr. Coats was associated with Stamps-Baxter Music Company and a lifetime staff writer for them...He joined the Baptist Church and served more than thirty years as a Deacon before answering the call to the ministry. He died on December 15, 1961.
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When Myrtle was a little girl, J. B. Coats used to go to the church she attended, Fellowship Baptist Church, near Taylorsville, Mississippi, and conduct singing schools in the summer. He taught her to sing alto.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
I’ll Tell You Why I’m Not Going!
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” (II Peter 3:18)
How many times have you heard someone say, “I’ll tell you why I’m not going to church”? The reasons go like this:
I cannot abide the preacher...the choir director...the deacons. On the front row every Sunday there are a bunch of hypocrites, who lie, steal, and cheat. Sunday they are the biggest Christians you’ll ever see, and Monday morning they are scoundrels. They are keeping me from church. I don’t want a part of God if these are His people. I’ll get more out of going to the lake than sitting in that church with that bunch of sinners calling themselves Christians. I don’t want anybody like that preaching to me or teaching my Sunday school class.
There are a few things to keep in mind. Don’t let anyone steal your joy in the Lord! Realize that these people are growing in grace. Try to see them as God sees them: through the love of Christ. Be sure that God is seeing you through the grace of Christ’s love. If you have not already claimed Christ’s saving grace through His shed blood, do so.
Turn your eyes toward Jesus and away from other people’s faults. Forgive them as you wish people would forgive you for the most stinking thing you have ever done to anybody. When you see mean-spirited persons on the front pew of the church (or even in the choir!) and you cannot help noticing them, thank God that they are in church. How much worse would they be if they were not there? How much has God already worked on them?
Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Remember that they are sinners saved by God’s grace. We are all growing in the Lord, and He hasn’t finished with us yet. Pray for them and thank God for the opportunity. Be especially kind to people who have offended you. Read and reread Matthew 5, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 5:7)
Go to church for encouragement from the Lord and to assemble yourselves with others to encourage them. All those other sinners saved by grace in God’s church need to see you there, where they can receive a hug and a handshake with your smile. They need to hear you say something sweet.
Did you know that there are little children who never receive kind and encouraging words except on Sunday in church? Did you know that there are elderly people who go all week without touching another human being except for the ones they hug in church?
How many times have you heard someone say, “I’ll tell you why I’m not going to church”? The reasons go like this:
I cannot abide the preacher...the choir director...the deacons. On the front row every Sunday there are a bunch of hypocrites, who lie, steal, and cheat. Sunday they are the biggest Christians you’ll ever see, and Monday morning they are scoundrels. They are keeping me from church. I don’t want a part of God if these are His people. I’ll get more out of going to the lake than sitting in that church with that bunch of sinners calling themselves Christians. I don’t want anybody like that preaching to me or teaching my Sunday school class.
There are a few things to keep in mind. Don’t let anyone steal your joy in the Lord! Realize that these people are growing in grace. Try to see them as God sees them: through the love of Christ. Be sure that God is seeing you through the grace of Christ’s love. If you have not already claimed Christ’s saving grace through His shed blood, do so.
Turn your eyes toward Jesus and away from other people’s faults. Forgive them as you wish people would forgive you for the most stinking thing you have ever done to anybody. When you see mean-spirited persons on the front pew of the church (or even in the choir!) and you cannot help noticing them, thank God that they are in church. How much worse would they be if they were not there? How much has God already worked on them?
Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Remember that they are sinners saved by God’s grace. We are all growing in the Lord, and He hasn’t finished with us yet. Pray for them and thank God for the opportunity. Be especially kind to people who have offended you. Read and reread Matthew 5, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 5:7)
Go to church for encouragement from the Lord and to assemble yourselves with others to encourage them. All those other sinners saved by grace in God’s church need to see you there, where they can receive a hug and a handshake with your smile. They need to hear you say something sweet.
Did you know that there are little children who never receive kind and encouraging words except on Sunday in church? Did you know that there are elderly people who go all week without touching another human being except for the ones they hug in church?
Saturday, April 25, 2009
What Is Hopeless When the Lord Almighty Is in Charge?
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:13)
Walking with the Lord in the brilliant illumination of His word and grace, we cannot avoid experiencing the aura of His glory shining on our path. Having inherited the riches He shares with us, we realize that we need to rely on Him to clean up our activity. We do what He wills, which is to do good. He never leaves us because desertion is not part of His plan and because He loves us too much to discard us. Instead, He repairs, cultures, and guides us. He goes before, beside, and above us. His Spirit abides within us. How could we fail to trust and obey Him?
If we say a situation is hopeless, we dishonor God so much that we are speaking profanity. How could any state of affairs be hopeless when the Lord Almighty is in charge? To say so is to pay homage to the devil. Rather than empower the devil, we must cheerfully and competently bear the burdens placed upon us with the realization that the Lord will reward our willingness to work in His kingdom.
When we are sad, He will comfort us. When we have losses. . . and there will always be losses as long as we are here on earth . . . He will console us. When we cry or frown, He notices. He matches the tasks He gives us to our abilities. Whenever we suffer, He blesses. When we suffer much, He blesses more.
We can never know the extent of His love for us until we sit at His feed and relinquish all. The more we obey and trust Him, the more He will bless. The closer we draw to Him, the closer He will draw to us. Like Martha's sister Mary, we need to spend time at His feet where we can receive His teaching. (Luke 10:38-42) We can spend time there without fear. No matter what we may have thought about God's character, we realize that He is the God of hope, not hopelessness.
With the God of Hope, the Lord of Light, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Love, we can celebrate the joy of our lives. Hopeless situations? When we walk with God in the light of His love, nothing is hopeless!
Walking with the Lord in the brilliant illumination of His word and grace, we cannot avoid experiencing the aura of His glory shining on our path. Having inherited the riches He shares with us, we realize that we need to rely on Him to clean up our activity. We do what He wills, which is to do good. He never leaves us because desertion is not part of His plan and because He loves us too much to discard us. Instead, He repairs, cultures, and guides us. He goes before, beside, and above us. His Spirit abides within us. How could we fail to trust and obey Him?
If we say a situation is hopeless, we dishonor God so much that we are speaking profanity. How could any state of affairs be hopeless when the Lord Almighty is in charge? To say so is to pay homage to the devil. Rather than empower the devil, we must cheerfully and competently bear the burdens placed upon us with the realization that the Lord will reward our willingness to work in His kingdom.
When we are sad, He will comfort us. When we have losses. . . and there will always be losses as long as we are here on earth . . . He will console us. When we cry or frown, He notices. He matches the tasks He gives us to our abilities. Whenever we suffer, He blesses. When we suffer much, He blesses more.
We can never know the extent of His love for us until we sit at His feed and relinquish all. The more we obey and trust Him, the more He will bless. The closer we draw to Him, the closer He will draw to us. Like Martha's sister Mary, we need to spend time at His feet where we can receive His teaching. (Luke 10:38-42) We can spend time there without fear. No matter what we may have thought about God's character, we realize that He is the God of hope, not hopelessness.
With the God of Hope, the Lord of Light, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Love, we can celebrate the joy of our lives. Hopeless situations? When we walk with God in the light of His love, nothing is hopeless!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Lollie Ready Teaches about the Spirit of Elijah
Lollie Ready and Mary Lou CheathamLollie Ready, who leads the women's ministry at River of Life Worship Center, Port Vincent, Louisiana, where her husband is pastor, spoke at the Ruth Guilbert Women's conference April 18, 2009, at First Baptist Church, Simsboro, Louisiana.
She brought to life the ministry and annointing of Elijah. Also she discussed the special request of Elisha for a double portion of grace.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
I grew up in Mississippi . . . .
I grew up in Mississippi and now reside in Louisiana. I am the mother of one precious daughter. I have had careers as a teacher and registered nurse. Using the name Jane Riley, I have published a novel, SOLOMON'S PORCH and a story cookbook, FLAVORED WITH LOVE.
I have co-authored a story cookbook, THE COLLARD PATCH, with Paul Elliott. In preparing DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU? I have benefited from Paul’s editing and spiritual guidance. Uniquely qualified to assist me, he is a devoted follower of Christ, a retired physician, a marketer, and a lover of language.
When my mother, Myrtle, was a little girl, she understood that her family loved her as long as someone was near and giving her constant attention. As a small member of a large bustling family, she would lose sight of her parents’ and sisters’ love occasionally and act out to gain reassurance.
It was time to hoe the crop in the field near the house. The parents, Mary Jane and Bud, left Katie and Rosa with household chores, including preparation of lunch, and also taking care of mischievous Myrtle and baby Idell. Most of the time the parents would be within earshot of their girls.
By midmorning when Katie and Rosa were busy attending to cooking lunch on the wood stove and changing the baby’s diaper, Myrtle, who had been instructed not to go outside unaccompanied, sneaked out to gain some attention. She had a plan. She knew how she could scare her sisters enough that they would play with her. If they loved her, they would have entertained her, she thought.
On the far side of the house, where she was never allowed to go alone, there was a loose board. She had heard it bump in the wind and observed that it sounded exactly like another sound that came from the nearby well. To draw water from the open well with its big hole large enough for her to climb into and fall 100 feet before hitting water, it was necessary to unhook the rope and place the attached bucket into the hole. (The water bucket was a long narrow cylinder with a flap at the bottom.) The rope uncurled from the crank beside the frame to lower the bucket until it made a noise as it hit the water. Then the flap would open to allow water to flow into the bucket. When it filled, the flap would close. I don’t know quite why, but we described that second sound as “the water sinking.” It was the signal to start drawing the water from the well.
Myrtle knew how to get Katie or Rosa to come looking for her. She popped the board on the side of the house and crawled under the house to hide. Katie and Rosa did not hear the noise, but Mary Jane, her mother, hoeing on the end of a row nearby did! Mary Jane yelled, “Myrtle’s done fell in the well. I heard the water sink! Come on, Bud! I shouldn’t have left my babies and gone to the field. Run, Bud. I heard the water sink! Myrtle’s in the well!”
They went running and yelling to the house. Bedlam broke loose. Katie went running out, and Rosa came behind her with baby Idell in her arms. By then Myrtle was too frightened go come out. She knew what would happen to her. Finally Bud called, “Myrtle!”
She could not resist his call. She had so much respect and love for him that she never wanted to disappoint him. “Yes, Papa!” she said from underneath the house, and she crawled out to face her punishment.
(Shared from my new book, DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?)
"For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." (Proverbs 3:12)
I have co-authored a story cookbook, THE COLLARD PATCH, with Paul Elliott. In preparing DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU? I have benefited from Paul’s editing and spiritual guidance. Uniquely qualified to assist me, he is a devoted follower of Christ, a retired physician, a marketer, and a lover of language.
When my mother, Myrtle, was a little girl, she understood that her family loved her as long as someone was near and giving her constant attention. As a small member of a large bustling family, she would lose sight of her parents’ and sisters’ love occasionally and act out to gain reassurance.
It was time to hoe the crop in the field near the house. The parents, Mary Jane and Bud, left Katie and Rosa with household chores, including preparation of lunch, and also taking care of mischievous Myrtle and baby Idell. Most of the time the parents would be within earshot of their girls.
By midmorning when Katie and Rosa were busy attending to cooking lunch on the wood stove and changing the baby’s diaper, Myrtle, who had been instructed not to go outside unaccompanied, sneaked out to gain some attention. She had a plan. She knew how she could scare her sisters enough that they would play with her. If they loved her, they would have entertained her, she thought.
On the far side of the house, where she was never allowed to go alone, there was a loose board. She had heard it bump in the wind and observed that it sounded exactly like another sound that came from the nearby well. To draw water from the open well with its big hole large enough for her to climb into and fall 100 feet before hitting water, it was necessary to unhook the rope and place the attached bucket into the hole. (The water bucket was a long narrow cylinder with a flap at the bottom.) The rope uncurled from the crank beside the frame to lower the bucket until it made a noise as it hit the water. Then the flap would open to allow water to flow into the bucket. When it filled, the flap would close. I don’t know quite why, but we described that second sound as “the water sinking.” It was the signal to start drawing the water from the well.
Myrtle knew how to get Katie or Rosa to come looking for her. She popped the board on the side of the house and crawled under the house to hide. Katie and Rosa did not hear the noise, but Mary Jane, her mother, hoeing on the end of a row nearby did! Mary Jane yelled, “Myrtle’s done fell in the well. I heard the water sink! Come on, Bud! I shouldn’t have left my babies and gone to the field. Run, Bud. I heard the water sink! Myrtle’s in the well!”
They went running and yelling to the house. Bedlam broke loose. Katie went running out, and Rosa came behind her with baby Idell in her arms. By then Myrtle was too frightened go come out. She knew what would happen to her. Finally Bud called, “Myrtle!”
She could not resist his call. She had so much respect and love for him that she never wanted to disappoint him. “Yes, Papa!” she said from underneath the house, and she crawled out to face her punishment.
(Shared from my new book, DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?)
"For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." (Proverbs 3:12)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
We Are the Sheep
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is He That hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100
Monday, April 6, 2009
The Greatest Plea Bargain of All Time
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
Since the heart is the most important part of you, it is no surprise that Satan makes his strongest attacks on it with darts of malice, resentment, anxiety, discord – whatever fruits of carnality that he can use to entice you. Because of his hate for you, he loves to see you live in the flesh.
As the author of confusion, he seeks to destroy your peace by presenting two or three convincing but conflicting ideas at once. These poisonous bombs are programmed to pollute your peace. For example if he can lead you into adultery, dishonesty, pagan worship practices, bulimia, or self-deprecation, he is dancing in the streets.
Remember that what God promises you is stronger than anything the devil can deliver. He will promise you and possibly even deliver power here on earth, but God will have you help Jesus Christ judge the angels when you join Him in His kingdom. “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in this world.” (I John 4:4)
The Father God has relinquished the job of judging to His Son, who will judge all of us. Once you have become a child of God, you have a special relationship with the Judge. The peace of God exists between you and God the Judge. He has made a special arrangement with you before court goes into session.
The Son went to a phony illegal court for You about 2,000 years ago. He was ridiculed, beaten, spat upon, and crowned with thorns. He endured an execution of torture on a Roman cross. Above Him there was a sign saying, “King of the Jews.” He is the King of the Jews, the Ruler of the world, and the Judge of all mankind.
You only plea – that Christ died for you – is the greatest plea bargain of all time. Having had your fine paid by the Judge, You will not have to appear before Him at the Great White Throne, where He will judge sinful human beings according to their works. At the Great White Throne all works that sinners consider good will be discarded like filthy rags. The evil works of evil men will outweigh whatever they thought was good.
Instead of going there, you will appear before Jesus at the Bema judgment, where He will remember that the blood is the payment for your sins. With the peace that passes understanding – the salvation bought by the blood of the Lamb – you will not have to pay the price for your sins. He will give you a crown for the works you have done that were to glorify Him.
Your trial is fixed with the Judge!
Since the heart is the most important part of you, it is no surprise that Satan makes his strongest attacks on it with darts of malice, resentment, anxiety, discord – whatever fruits of carnality that he can use to entice you. Because of his hate for you, he loves to see you live in the flesh.
As the author of confusion, he seeks to destroy your peace by presenting two or three convincing but conflicting ideas at once. These poisonous bombs are programmed to pollute your peace. For example if he can lead you into adultery, dishonesty, pagan worship practices, bulimia, or self-deprecation, he is dancing in the streets.
Remember that what God promises you is stronger than anything the devil can deliver. He will promise you and possibly even deliver power here on earth, but God will have you help Jesus Christ judge the angels when you join Him in His kingdom. “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in this world.” (I John 4:4)
The Father God has relinquished the job of judging to His Son, who will judge all of us. Once you have become a child of God, you have a special relationship with the Judge. The peace of God exists between you and God the Judge. He has made a special arrangement with you before court goes into session.
The Son went to a phony illegal court for You about 2,000 years ago. He was ridiculed, beaten, spat upon, and crowned with thorns. He endured an execution of torture on a Roman cross. Above Him there was a sign saying, “King of the Jews.” He is the King of the Jews, the Ruler of the world, and the Judge of all mankind.
You only plea – that Christ died for you – is the greatest plea bargain of all time. Having had your fine paid by the Judge, You will not have to appear before Him at the Great White Throne, where He will judge sinful human beings according to their works. At the Great White Throne all works that sinners consider good will be discarded like filthy rags. The evil works of evil men will outweigh whatever they thought was good.
Instead of going there, you will appear before Jesus at the Bema judgment, where He will remember that the blood is the payment for your sins. With the peace that passes understanding – the salvation bought by the blood of the Lamb – you will not have to pay the price for your sins. He will give you a crown for the works you have done that were to glorify Him.
Your trial is fixed with the Judge!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Pour Out Your Heart!
“Our Father...” (Luke 11:2)
Tell your heavenly Father what is on your mind and in your heart. Although He already knows, He wants you to tell Him. Great men in the Bible – such as Job, Abraham, Moses, and Joshua – told God exactly what they thought. He responded, and He blessed them.
When we express ourselves to our heavenly Father (in Jesus’ name as we are instructed) He hears us. If we expect to hear Him, we should give Him honest communication.
There was a woman who was bitter because she could not have a baby. She cried until she was sore. She prayed. All the feelings in her heart she poured out to the Lord. “O Lord of hosts,” she prayed, “if Thou will indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid...” (I Samuel 1:11) Her name was Hannah. As she knelt in the temple in Jerusalem, she prayed with her heart. Her lips moved, but no words came out. Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk.
She promised God that if she could be given a son she would give him to the Lord. When she went back home, she and her husband Elkanah tried again. “The Lord remembered her.” (I Samuel 1:19) And she called her son Samuel, who became God’s prophet and the last ruler-judge of Israel. He anointed Israel’s first king, Saul, and Israel’s greatest king, David.
The Bible has some wonderful promises related to prayer such as this one: “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22)
Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms.
Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 15:13-16)
Nowhere in the Bible is there a verse that forbids us from respectfully pouring our hearts out to our Father as we take a walk, lie in bed, or drive home from work. Instead, God’s word says, “Pray without ceasing.” (I Thessalonians 5:17) As our warm, caring Father. God wants to have a loving, personal relationship with us.
Tell your heavenly Father what is on your mind and in your heart. Although He already knows, He wants you to tell Him. Great men in the Bible – such as Job, Abraham, Moses, and Joshua – told God exactly what they thought. He responded, and He blessed them.
When we express ourselves to our heavenly Father (in Jesus’ name as we are instructed) He hears us. If we expect to hear Him, we should give Him honest communication.
There was a woman who was bitter because she could not have a baby. She cried until she was sore. She prayed. All the feelings in her heart she poured out to the Lord. “O Lord of hosts,” she prayed, “if Thou will indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid...” (I Samuel 1:11) Her name was Hannah. As she knelt in the temple in Jerusalem, she prayed with her heart. Her lips moved, but no words came out. Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk.
She promised God that if she could be given a son she would give him to the Lord. When she went back home, she and her husband Elkanah tried again. “The Lord remembered her.” (I Samuel 1:19) And she called her son Samuel, who became God’s prophet and the last ruler-judge of Israel. He anointed Israel’s first king, Saul, and Israel’s greatest king, David.
The Bible has some wonderful promises related to prayer such as this one: “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22)
Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms.
Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 15:13-16)
Nowhere in the Bible is there a verse that forbids us from respectfully pouring our hearts out to our Father as we take a walk, lie in bed, or drive home from work. Instead, God’s word says, “Pray without ceasing.” (I Thessalonians 5:17) As our warm, caring Father. God wants to have a loving, personal relationship with us.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Teaching -- is it really from God?
How can we know whether teaching is really from God?
All teaching from God honors the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
"No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and . . . no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. (I Corinthians 12:3)
(Quoted from DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?)
All teaching from God honors the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
"No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and . . . no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. (I Corinthians 12:3)
(Quoted from DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?)
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