Rainbow Springs State Park, Dunnellon, Florida
Then people go off to their work, where they labor until evening. ~ Psalm 104:23
I have absolutely nothing of interest to report today. We spent the entire day as a domestic god and goddess.
So in light of that, here’s another excerpt from my God Moment’s journal. Just to give you something to read . . . . 😊
And now, back to our search for a new church family. The search continued for a while – almost a year – since there were few Sundays open to visit. But then the Lenten season rolled around. Blaine & I had always liked Lenten services. We felt they were important. For those of you who don’t know, in some churches they recognize Lent (the 40 days before Easter) as a time to focus on Jesus’ sacrifice for us. It’s also a time where Catholics give up meat, and some Protestants suggest giving up something as well. But for us, it was just a time to reflect and acknowledge. Anyway, there was this woman, Nancy Bradbury, whom we knew from Emmanuel UCC. We knew she was the secretary of a church near where we lived. Springfield Baptist. So I called her and asked her if they had Lenten services. She told me that they had meetings on Wednesday nights. I assumed she meant yes. But she knew better! It was Bible Study with the pastor! Anyway, we showed up on Wednesday night expecting a church service and ended up in the library. We actually thought we must have been in on some kind of a leadership meeting. Everyone had their Bibles and people would raise questions and quote scripture! We couldn’t believe it! But everyone made us feel very welcome – especially Yvonne Votaw. Wonderful, godly woman who’s long since gone Home.
Eventually, we were able to attend a Sunday morning worship service. In some aspects, it was quite different from what we were used to. For one thing, the Pastor (Ted Hixson) prayed for what seemed like for-EVER! And on top of that, he preached for a full half hour! We were accustomed to 2 minute prayers (if that) and ten minute messages. When we talked about it later that day, Blaine made the comment that during the prayer time he looked at the top of his bulletin and wondered if they took the verse printed there literally – “Pray without ceasing . . . “. He also mentioned the length of the sermon. But when I asked him if he was ever bored, he gave an emphatic “No!” And I felt the same. So we stayed – – – for 18 years. And we grew by leaps and bounds! It was absolutely wonderful! Blaine became a true believer at that church.
I had several encounters with God while we were there. Opportunities that not only tested my faith, but helped me to grow and trust. I learned so much at Springfield Baptist, especially while Ted was Pastor. Let’s see how many I can remember.
We started by not only attending the Wednesday night study, but also Sunday School. Ted had a rule that no one could go to another adult class until they had completed his. Every week, he had the class recite all the books of the Bible and also a memory verse for the week. He also had a workbook called “Victorious Christian Living” that covered a lot of the basics of Christianity. You would start wherever they were in the book and continue till you got back to where you started. It was a wonderful class! We learned so much! But then, considering we knew practically nothing, that’s not saying much. I was so energized by what I found in Scripture! I developed a ravenous hunger to devour as much as I possibly could. Ted was the best possible teacher. I cannot express enough gratitude that he was a part of my life. I owe much of what I know and my heart-felt desire to find and stick to the truth of scripture itself, to him and his example and teaching. As well as an outline for how to pray.
I joined the choir and it wasn’t long before I was offering special music. And that’s exactly what it was – an offering. I always considered my music to be between me and God and if He used it to benefit others, so be it. It was a way for me to express my love, or at times, even longing. I was told numerous times that my music had touched lives. It was also evident to both Blaine and I that it was Holy Spirit gifted, because Blaine told me that I never sounded the same in practice as I did in the service – and it never felt the same either. Eventually, I learned to pray about my selection to see what God would have me bring to worship. Oftentimes, I would hear from a specific person about how God spoke to them directly thru the song. God has since removed that gift from me, and it’s funny, but even though it was such a great blessing, I don’t miss it at all. In fact, it started waning while we were at Springfield Baptist. (about the time I was called to start teaching) I became less and less moved to sing, but what a blessing to be used in that way! I’m humbled at the thought that so great a God would choose to use me as His vessel.