Are You Ready...

For some football...record crowds...Texas tunes...stampeding longhorns...dangerous decibel levels...T.V. timeouts...Matthew McConaughey sightings...rabid fans...and PAYBACK!!!

If you don't have a ticket...Saturday, ABC, 7:00 pm!

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57

Another Congratulations!

Tony and I could not be prouder to be the parents of two very successful sons! The success we have wanted for them is that that is found when you live a life that honors and brings glory to God. Addtionally, they have been blessed with success in the business world and with the support of lovely Christian wives.


That said, last night Josh was honored in his field by his company with the Merit Award. The Merit Award is Campbell's highest award for recognition of outstanding achievement during the past year. Candidates are nominated based on their achievements. A senior management committee reviews the submissions and selects the winners from the dozens of nominees submitted. This was quite the achievement for Josh since we understand that the award is rarely given two consecutive years. WAY TO GO!!

Sadly this has no bearing on "Good Son Status"! Ha ;)

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

YEA for technology!!!

YEA for babies!! And a SUPER YEA for grandbabies!!! If you have not seen Meagan's ultrasound from her blog, I stole it and pasted it here (did I say stole - I meant borrowed). Nothing can surpass God's miracle of birth and His forming us in the womb and the very idea that we have a window in to the womb is just incredible!! I don't know if anyone can appreciate how a mother feels when they see their baby for the first time even if it is a fuzzy grey image on a screen. What is amazing is that today it is not a fuzzy grey image - it is a beautiful little baby that God is in the process of forming and we have the privilege of witnessing! WOW!!!

I thought it would be fun to see Jeremy's ultrasound from 1980 for comparison. I am afraid we won't be able to see if there is a family resemblance but I think that we will all agree that the technological advancements are incredible. Jeremy's ultrasound was done at 33 weeks on June 25, 1980 and he was born on August 8, 1980. The only thing I can point out to you is a large circle indicating the uterus but can I tell you that I loved that picture when they handed it to me!!

And now a grandbaby! To see God forming you and the fulfillment of prayers prayed long ago - how awesome is our God! I love you and can't wait until Easter - it has always been my favorite holiday of the year!

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Psalm 139:13-16

A Litte History

The fun part of any blog is that it is personal and you can indulge yourself by revisiting the past even when you're the only one it interests. Obviously, when it comes to this one thing in my life, I am comfortable if it appears to the observer that "it's all about me".

That said, I was remembering Dr. K. Owen White and how much he meant to First Baptist Church. I was so proud that in that moment when I made my public profession of faith he was the pastor that met me there in the baptismal waters where I was "buried in Christ through baptism and raised to walk in newness of life". If you were to look at the First Baptist Church history on their website, you would notice that the only previous pastor mentioned was Dr. John R. Bisagno (who married my husband and me) and came to pastor the church in 1970. But in the early 1960's Dr. White pastored FBC during some difficult years in our country's history.

One of the most difficult days I remember vividly was when the church was picketed on a Sunday evening by a group of black people. After training union on Sunday evening, I would go outside by one door and back in by another as a shortcut to get in the worship center for Sunday night church service. That particular Sunday my Dad made it clear that there would be no short cuts - I was not to leave the building. It was a little frightening at the time but by today's standards very civilized! I am going to include Dr. White's biography which will explain why this happened.

Kenneth Owen White was President of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1963-1964, and President of the General Baptist Convention of Texas from 1962-1964. During his simultaneous presidencies Dr. White continued to pastor First Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. Other denominational involvement included serving on the Home Mission Board, Radio Commission and Executive Board of the General Baptist Convention of Texas.

Dr. White was a prominent figure in the early 1960s, and played an active role in several controversial issues. He objected to The Message of Genesis (1962) by Ralph Elliott, who was then a professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Based on his conviction that the work denied the historicity of Genesis, Dr. White campaigned successfully for Dr. Elliott’s removal from the seminary. Shortly after his election as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. White became embroiled in a civil rights controversy after rejecting a black student’s request to join First Baptist Church, Houston. Dr. White and other church leaders believed that the request was motivated only to promote the church integration campaign led by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), who picketed the church following the denial. In 1965, the church passed a policy to remain segregated, and Dr. White accepted a position to become Metropolitan Missions Coordinator in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. White held pastorates in California, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Kentucky and Washington, D. C. He was born in 1902 in London, England, and moved to British Columbia as a child. He entered the United States in 1921, and married Pearl in 1926. The Whites had two children, Stanley and Ruth. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Louisville and his Master of Theology and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. White died July 12, 1985 in Tuscon, Arizona.

Prepared by: Dorothy A. Davis
Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives
June 2008

Dr. White was a beloved pastor and wonderful man of God who believed in and taught the inerrancy of the Bible.

I do not remember when segregation ended at the church. In fact, there were only a few times that segregation really touched my life. I was never taught hate for anyone in my home. I was taught a lack of respect for people who did not want to work to support themselves or their families but that encompassed any person of any color. I remember once in the early seventies when I worked in a secretarial pool at Shell as one of the Vice-President's secretaries had called all of her friends looking for a lunch date to no avail. I said to her, "Ruby, you have asked everyone to lunch but me!" To which she replied with surprise, "Would you want to go to lunch with me?!" We had a great lunch together but I remember looking around the room and realizing we were the only white and black girls sitting at a table together. Of course, the other way I was touched by segregation was the undoing of segregation. In high school I was zoned to the rival high school for integration! I was devestated but ultimately that is where I met my husband!

I am not saying that I didn't see the signs of segregation or the pain that it caused or the hate that grew out of it. And I am thankful that it is an issue that my children and grandchildren will only read about in history books.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

Happy "New Birth" Day To Me!

Forty-six years ago today on September 8, 1963, I made a public profession of faith and was baptized by Dr. K. Owen White at the old First Baptist Church in downtown Houston. It was days prior to this that I had knelt with my mother in our home and asked Jesus to live in my heart. I remember the emotion and heavy burden I felt when I went to my mother with my decision and the tenderness with which she led me through the simple prayer of salvation. And what relief I felt that at that moment when I knew that nothing in the future could separate me from the love of God.

In my parents first home there was an over-stuffed arm chair that I loved. When I laid across the arms with my head resting on one arm and my legs just reaching over the other, it felt as though I was being lovingly cradled. As a child, I believed that me cradled in that arm chair was a picture of my relationship with Jesus – whenever I needed Him, He was there to pick me up and carry me if I needed Him to. Little did I know how accurate that picture was! Throughout these forty-six years I have had a loving Father ever present to walk me through the most difficult of roads and the happiest of times. If I ever felt that He wasn’t near, it was I that had moved away from Him. It is a very real and personal relationship that gives my life meaning and makes every decision easier because it is made with His will for my life the first priority.

I am so grateful that God loved me so much that He provided me with a Kinsmen Redeemer so that my name can be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I am thankful, too, for Christian parents that saw to it that we were in church every Sunday so that the legacy of faith they had been blessed with was passed to me and on to my children.

The most important thing about salvation is that it is a free gift for those who believe that Christ died for our sins and on the third day rose from the grave. Trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation. It doesn’t matter at what age you come to Christ – just come!

http://www.billygraham.org/SH_StepsToPeace.asp

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3

College Football + Family + Labor Day = FUN

College football and the promise of cooler weather - the two just go hand in hand! Throw family in the mix and you have the beginning of my enthusiasm for college football and more specifically, University of Texas football. We have had season tickets for the past ten years and it began when our kids enrolled there as students. The games were a fun opportunity for us to drive up to Austin for a day, see an exciting game, lunch with the kids and drive back in time for church on Sunday!

Friday night Josh and Jamie flew in to Houston, had dinner with Jeremy, Meagan, Tony and me and then drove up to Austin with us Saturday to see the Longhorns beat ULM. We got there early enough Saturday for lunch, cupcakes, shopping, and an autograph from the Tyler Rose, Earl Campbell. Games are always fun when we win and needless to say both boys insisted on staying until the end which meant not getting home until 1:00am. But it was fun and the weather only gave us a brief scare with a few dark clouds and a brief shower!

Sunday, Josh and Jamie were sweet enough to teach Sunday School with us. (That went well until I realized Josh was a kid magnet causing my circle to collapse around him when he sat on the floor:) Afterwards we met my sister and her family at Los Cucos. Her family included her wonderful in-laws, her daughter, Amy and her husband, Chris and her precious granddaughter, Katie. It was a real treat that we could all be together even if it was for just a short time and didn't include my other niece, Erin and her husband, Lucas. We were all so tired after such a late Saturday night that we took one of the longest Sunday afternoon naps on record which meant Jeremy and Meagan came over at 8pm and at 9pm we found ourselves playing Speed Scrabble and Uno until midnight!!

Labor Day we slept in a little and then took the kids down to Kemah for a great seafood lunch at Landry's on the boardwalk! After lunch it was a little too hot for strolling around Kemah, so we drove around a bit and brought them home to gather their luggage and head to the airport.

It is so good to have all the kids at home and together around the table with us again and it is always hard to see them go whether it is back to Arkansas or back to a restrictive work schedule!! It is true that in some situations "absence makes the heart grow fonder".

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

1 Timothy 6:17

Back to ... Bible Study!!!

Every summer our Bible study class takes a break and many of us have goals of individual studies on our own or getting a head start on the next study. I am sure there are the motivated women who pursue their goals like a general in search of the enemy where failure is not an option. But after this summer I am convinced that perhaps the best plan might be to recognize how time flies when we're off and to simply commit to the daily reading of the Word which tells you this summer I was Napolean at Waterloo.

Today was our first day back and it was so good to be among girls of a shared faith and heart. Karen Harpole, our teacher who is pictured above with her trophy deer - sorry it was the only picture I had available :) , was gracious enough to have purchased tapes of Kay Arthur on location in Nazareth teaching Matthew. I love Kay, pictured above as well, and though I have only met her in person once when she calls us beloved I always feel it!!

I love that Kay can take that first chapter of Matthew where he walks us through the genealogy of Jesus and where I would only give it a cursory read, Kay shows me the grace of God that I might of missed on my own.

In this genealogy is the unusual presence of four women. Women were rarely mentioned in ancient genealogies, and the four mentioned here are worthy of special note as examples of God's grace. They show how God can take unlikely people and use them in great ways.

Tamar sold herself as a prostitute to her father in-law Judah to bring forth Perez and Zerah. Rahab was a Gentile prostitute, for whom God took extraordinary measures to save from judgment and her lifestyle of prostitution. Ruth was from Moab, a Gentile. Bathsheba was an adulteress, infamous for her sin with David.

Jesus identifies with sinners in His genealogy, even as He will in His birth, baptism, life, and His death on the cross. He did not come from a "pure" aristocratic background.

Oh, Matthew is going to be wonderful - full of grace and faith!!!!

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Matthew 5:17