July 2008 Devotionals: The Assurance of Salvation

INTRODUCTION: Into July I will again follow the devotionals of John MacArthur in his book Strength for Today; and his topic for the month of June is THE ASSURANCE OF SALVATION. ... I hope you can say, with assurance, that you know you are saved and living "in Christ." If not, this will be a very important topic for you. If you do know you are savied, this study should allow you to help others be assured in their salvation.

After my post for July 1st, each of my successive entries for this month will be added as comments to this blog. But if you're following along, feel free to add your own comments as well to this journey toward Christlike integrity. ... <'BB><
==================

A Year of Daily Devotionals: A Journal by Bill Berry … July, 2008

July 1, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: 2nd Peter 1: 10a … 10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.

My Journal for Today: New month … new topic! And the topic is one which is always pertinent for God’s people … those who call themselves, “Christian.” This month I will be delving into the assurance of our salvation as Christians, again with the help of John MacArthur’s powerful devotional text, Strength for Today [if you have it, it will be covered during the month of July, as you might expect].

Above, in our text for today, we read the Apostle Peter’s strong exhortation [really, a Spirit-led command]; and he’s saying that we, as Christians, should not only have confidence in our salvation as believers in Christ, but we should also develop that assurance in the maturing of our faith over time. In other words, if you’re truly a Christian, you should find your assurance of your salvation growing as your relationship with Christ grows.

Actually, Peter’s friend and fellow Apostle, John, wrote an entire book in the canonized Bible, the Book of 1st John, to help Christians have assurance in their faith (see the theme verse for that book in 1st John 5: 13).

------------------------
1st John 5: 13: I [John] write these things to you who believe [i.e., Christians] in the Name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
--------------------------

It is true that there are people claiming to be “Christian;” and sadly they have false assurance, primarily wrapped in their works or in legalism; … and this works-driven “fire insurance” mentality is sorely misplaced. Jesus spoke to this with one of His most gruesome prophesies (found in Matt. 7: 21 – 23) when he said that many who call Him, “lord, lord,” would never be allowed into His heaven.

That, to me, is one of the saddest sayings from the heart, mind, and mouth of Jesus. And this month my study will focus on how real Christians can have a rock-solid assurance for their salvation and can, as Peter exhorted in today’s verse, exercise that faith to give them hope and strength in any or all situations. This is certainly a worthy study for my mind and heart; and I would also want to be able to help other believers to have that rock-solid faith as well.

So, if you’re reading this, come with me, and with the help of John MacArthur, and more importantly the direction of God’s word and His Spirit, we will find true assurance of our salvation in Christ. And after this month of devotionals I would hope that we all, in the strong assurance of our own salvation, can help other Christians find that ROCK solid knowledge that they will spend eternity with their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

My Prayer Today: I know You, Lord; but I want to know You even more. Amen

Walking with Integrity in Christ

INTRODUCTION: Again this month I follow the devotionals of John MacArthur in his book Strength for Today; and his topic for the month of June is CHRISTIAN INTEGRITY. Personally, I believe that we could all do more to tune up our integrity when it comes to moving toward Christlikeness, which should be the goal of all Christians. So, if, like me, you want to think, talk, and act more like Jesus, come along with me in this study. After my post for June 1st, each of my successive entries for this month will be added as comments to this blog. But if you're following along, feel free to add your own comments as well to this journey toward Christlike integrity. <'BB><
===================

A Year of Daily Devotionals: A Journal by Bill Berry … June, 2008

June 1, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Psalm 15: 1 - 2 … 1 LORD, who may dwell in Your sanctuary? Who may live on Your holy hill? 2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart …

My Journal for Today: This month, once again with the help of John MacArthur’s Strength for Today devotional, the focus topic for this month of June will be that of Christian integrity. From today’s passage that would be defined as one who “does what is righteous [and] speaks the truth from his heart.”

Primarily MacArthur will be using passages from the Old Testament book of Daniel, who truly was a living example of the man of integrity spoken of by David in Psalm 15. In the New Testament, the Apostle John describes the essence of a truly mature Christian as being one who walks in Christlikeness … see 1st John 2: 3 – 6 …

---------------------
1st John 2: 3 - 6 We know that we have come to know Him [i.e., Christ] if we obey His commands. 4 The man who says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys His word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: 6 Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.
-----------------------

As we will see, Daniel, even in anticipation of his Messiah, was just such a man, … living in Christlikeness, not having the advantages which were afforded the Apostle John, who was so close to Christ. Daniel was a man who fit the mold of Christlikeness even before Christ walked the earth. He was one who would not bend to peer or power pressure as the world attempted to mold his faith to fit the culture or circumstances. He held on to his principles and Godly precepts, even in the threat of death to more than one king. He truly was a man of integrity.

So, as today’s passage teaches, in order for us to have God abiding in our “sanctuary” (i.e., heart), which, of course, signifies our very being, we must walk with uncompromising integrity, … which, for the Christian, translates into Christlikeness and obedience to God’s word.

My Prayer Today: O, Lord, help me be a man of integrity. Amen

May, 2008 Devotionals: Handling Trials

Introductory Note: This month as I journal my devotionals I will again be using John MacArthur’s devotional book, Strength for Today as my devotional guide for my morning quiet times with God. And for this month’s focus MacArthur will be highlighting how we Christians deal with tests, trials, tribulations, and/or temptations - what I call the four "BIG Ts" of life. My guess is that anyone reading here will benefit from following along and mediating on God's word with me as we explore how to deal with the challenges of life. … If you do want to join me in this month's devotional entries, they will be posted as individual comment entries to this blog. ... <’BB><

--------------------

A Year of Daily Devotionals: A Journal by Bill Berry … May, 2008

May 1, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Job 5: 7 … 7 Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.

My Journal for Today: Trials, tribulations, temptations, testing, troubles … all the big “T”s that we’d like to avoid in life. Yet somehow, intuitively, we know that we’re going to face all of these “Ts.” This month I’ll be looking at these, again with John MacArthur’s help from his devotional book, Strength for Today. And to begin this, we go to the #1 book in the Bible on troubles and trials; and that, of course, is in the study of the life of Job, the oldest book in the Bible and the account of God’s exemplary “trouble child,” who was the subject of Satan’s ire and became God’s example for all mankind of handling trials and tests.

It’s very easy for any of us to get down when suffering or trials visit our lives. The truth of today’s verse, along with all that Job faced, reminds us that tribulations are just a part of life. We’re all going to face them at some time and in some fashion in our walk on this earth. And so, knowing this, we must guard against letting the challenges of life get us down.

Jonah (see Jonah, Chapter 4) and Elijah (in 1st Kings 19: 1 – 14), prophets of God, let their anguish over trials in their respective lives cause them to even pray to die. And I would expect that some of you reading this may have been at that point sometime in your life. But fortunately for these two, and perhaps you, God doesn’t always answer “YES” when we pray for things that we don’t need or shouldn’t have.

But we have to remember the wonderful words of our Savior … (from John 16: 33) …

-----------
John 16: 33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
------------

And even though our trials may not be as intense as those of Job or others, we can also take heart from the magnificent promises of two passages of scripture that I rely upon almost daily to deal the challenges of my life or of those whom I love. Let me post them here, because I think I’ll be making reference to them more than once during this month as we talk about dealing with the troubles of life. Please note and meditate on 1st Cor. 10: 13 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9 … and I would exhort you to have these two deeply planted in your minds/hearts …

---------------
1st Cor. 10: 13 No temptation [also translated “test, trial, or tribulation”] has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

2nd Cor. 12: 9 But He [Jesus] said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore [Paul writes], I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
-----------------

God’s always there for me, no matter what the trial may be, … no matter how tough it is for me to handle, … God is there, faithfully, to give me the strength so that I may stand up under the challenges I face. And I need not fear because God will always be there to lift me up when I am down [find and meditate on Deut. 31: 8 and Isaiah 41: 10 on your own].

My Prayer Today: Thank you, Lord, for always being there to lift me – in ANY trial. Amen

Quite a woman!

I write this as a tribute to Elly's mother, Jette van der Pols, who was truly quite a woman! Here you see a photo of Elly, her mom, Erin (our firstborn), and yours truly taken in 1970 at our first visit to Elly's birth country - with us in traditional Dutch costume ... and then a foto taken with Elly's mom in October, 2006... when much of what I write below occurred.

As some may know, we've reported that Elly's fomerly head-stong, independent and spiritually reluctant mother went to be with God at the end of March. But, some of you may ask [or maybe you don't], "How do you KNOW that Elly's mom is with Christ?" I hope you don't mind me sharing this story. But even if you do, I will love telling it; because it shows a lot about God's mercy and grace.

Elly's mom (her name was "Jette" -pronounced "yet") was a pip! She was a very controlling woman. Some have used the term "control freak;" but I'd certainly never call my mother-in-law a "freak," that is if, when she was with us, I wanteded to avoid her wrath. Actually, Elly's mom and I got along best being separated by the 4500 miles between us, with Elly and me in Tennessee and with her mom in Holland.

But back to Jette and Jesus. For years Elly's mom thought we had been consumed by some cult with our witness of Christ in our lives. She just didn't get it! God was just not important to her because, as far as she could see, Jette van der Pols could control her life without God. So, she repelled our witness of faith for many, many years. Then, in these last three, or so, years, she had to reside in a wonderful Nursing Care facility near Rotterdam in Holland where she got great care and protection; but where her mind and memory began to fail seriously.

As those of you who've known us for some time, Elly and I went over to visit her mom two or three times per year in these last three years; but as we did, her immediate memory was failing more and more each time we saw her. In this last year or so, she would have trouble remembering that we had kids or that she had great-grandkids. We would show her pictures of the kids and grandchildren at each visit; but then 2 minutes later, she'd ask who were the people in those pictures. But somehow in all of this memory failure, many times her not being able to recognize close relatives who came to visit her, God gave her the ability to retain Elly's personhood as well as who I was. It was fascinating to me that everytime Elly would go off to do something, like go to the restroom, leaving me with Jette alone, she would revert to speaking English with me, somehow knowing (I know it was God's grace) that I didn't speak Dutch well enough to converse with her in her native language. And she always knew who I was in the context of Elly's life (and hers) ... even though she could not recogize close relatives whom she'd known far longer than her daughter's American husband. Go figure; ... God is so good!

Well, through all of this mental deterioration, Elly and I prayed diligently, and with determination, that God, the Holy Spirit, would witness to her mind/heart, somehow giving her a vision of God that we had not been able to in our witness over the years. We prayed that God would give us some sign that she had relented her spirit to His and received the Lord. But year after year, there was no such sign. But in obedience to our Lord, we prayed!

Well, sometime last year, we went to visit Elly's mom; and once again the memory traces were failing even more severely. Elly, spending long hours with her would have to answer the same questions over and over again - sometimes 20 -30 times in an hour. And to be quite honest, we despaired for her soul.

Then, after all those days, weeks, months, and years of praying for some breakthrough, which we had not been able to bring about, Elly was cleaning out her purse one day (which had gotten cluttered with "junk" she stashed in there); and she discovered some programs from church services which were conducted each Sunday by an evangelical mission group in the area (very rare in Holland, BTW!!!). From the staff we learned that she had begun attending these services regularly; and the staff reported that she enthusiastically participated, joining in the singing and responding to the services. Well, that was totally out of character from the Jette van der Pols we knew; and it was encouraging; but it didn't rival the real shocker we got the same day Elly discovered those programs in her purse. As we left and said good-bye to her that day, the very controlling woman I'd always known as one who just didn't need God, asked us, "How can I pray for you?" Then she turned to me and asked - point blank, "What can I pray for you?"

Well, you could have bowled me over with a feather at that moment!? You just can't appreciate how out of character that was for the Jette van der Pols whom we knew; and as Elly and I left her that day, we just knew that God had given us the sign we had asked for, letting us know that Elly's mom had seen - in some very personal way - her Savior; and He had given her the grace to receive Him as her Lord.

BTW, we never heard her mention prayer or God after that; but we saw this formerly dominant woman become a gentle soul, ... a soul that the staff at her residence came to love and be drawn to in her later life. And when she passed on - to Christ WE KNOW - three of those staff came many miles to be at her memorial service - something we learned was very rare in her nursing care facility.

We just know that this was God's way of sealing the truth that Elly's mother was with our Lord as we said "Good-By" to her over in Holland in late March of this year. God is so good when we draw nigh to Him.

I feel so blessed that this is the second parent God, the Holy Spirit, has drawn to our Lord in a mysterious witness which I don't think we can comprehend in our humanity. My mother, after years of witness to no effect, awoke from a coma six hours before she ultimately died; and it "just happened" that I was there praying for her at her bedside; and she told me, "I'm so tired; I just want to go be with Jesus." Then she lapsed back into that coma; and six hours later she was with her Lord ... and I knew it!

So, you can't tell me that prayer for a loved one's soul, even when they seem totally resistant to witness or testimonies, is not worthwhile. Do our prayers automatically seal a lost relative's eternal destiny? Of course not! But God in His foreknowledge will faithfully seal those into His family whom He has so elected; and He simply wants us to trust Him and pray diligently for the souls of our dear ones. So, if you have resistant loved ones who seem lost ... PRAY FOR THEM, asking God, the Holy Spirit to witness to them in ways which you cannot.

That's what I had done for my mother; and that's what we did for Jette van der Pols; and we now know both are with their Lord now in that intermediate heaven; and they await our souls to join them there or to be with Christ in our new, resurrected bodies one day when He returns for His Bride at the wedding feast of The Lamb.

If you read this, thank you for your respect and patience. I just needed to write that as a part of my own grieving process for a woman I fought with and who challenged my faith as a Christian to love the unloveable. Jette van der Pols was quite a woman; and now she is one with us in the family of God.

May God's grace and mercy be praised!!! ... <'BB><

Holland 2008

We just returned from a sad time in Holland this year, ... the funeral for Elly's mother, Jette van der Pols, who died suddenly, but restfully and peacefully, at 92. In this time of sadness, there was joy, however, visiting many relatives and friends of Elly's, even visiting the delightful Keukenhof, which is Holland's showcase of flowers - a themepark of the best of what Holland gives the world in terms of flowers.

You will see some fotos I've selected from a past visit to the Keukenhof in 2001 [marked on foto] as well as some taken during this visit. The beauty we were able so share @ the Keukenhof on our last full day in Holland and the sunny day (rare in March for Holland) helped to brighten the sadness we felt at the passing of Elly's mom.

First you see three lovely images of the famous tulips of Holland - the first is the largest tulip in the world (amazing, a full 10 inches from tip-to-tip). Then two of our favorite varieties on display inside (the tulips don't bloom outside until May). Then, after the poster for "The Keukenhof," you see yours truly, taken in mock wooden shoes, first in 2001 (on left) and then last week in the same type pose. ... Fun!

Then you see Elly and a dear high school friend, on the left taken this week and then you see the foto of the same two friends taken in May, 2001 [labeled], where the tulips were in bloom more in May, 2001 then they were in March of 2008. But as I said above, the day in the sun with the flowers of Holland from God's creation was a real bright point during this sad time.

We will not likely be going back over to Elly's native land as often in the future since Elly's main reason for going is there no longer. However, we have great friends and a number of Elly's relatives there to visit when we do go back over. Holland is very much a part of the Berry Patch! ... wrb

April, 2008 Devotionals: An Intimate Look At Jesus

Introductory Note: This year, as I have in the past four years, I’ve been using John MacArthur’s devotional book, Strength for Today as my devotional guide for my morning quiet times with God. This month will be no exception. For introduction to this month’s focus, however, let me say before I begin journaling my devotional thoughts, that MacArthur will be highlighting Christ’s passion this month, probably because Easter usually occurs in April. So, having been through this month of devotionals for 4 years now, I know I’m going to get a lot closer to knowing my Lord from this study; and I pray that you will too if you follow along. … If you do want to join me in this month's devotional entries, they will be posted as individual comment entries to this blog. ... <’BB><
---------------------------------------------------------

A Year of Daily Devotionals: A Journal by Bill Berry … April, 2008

April 1, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 2 … 1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 "As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

My Journal for Today: The cross of Christ, about which Jesus informed His Disciples shortly before that fateful Passover celebration [see today’s passage], is the fulcrum of human history. It is the crossroads of redemption for mankind to which the Apostle Paul declared, (in 1st Cor. 2: 2 …” For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified;” … and in 1st Cor. 5: 7 … “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

Everything we believe as Christians rests on the truth of what happened on that cross at Calvary and the reality of Christ’s resurrection.

Jesus, in a Spirit inspired word of knowledge from the Father, knew that His walk on earth, especially those awe inspiring times of Passover during His Passion, was totally determined by His Father’s sovereign time table. Yes, Jesus had complete control over His walk (see John 10: 17 – 18). However, Jesus walked in total surrender to the Sovereign plan of God, the Father.

John, the Baptist, had certainly recognized that his cousin, Jesus, was “THE ONE” Who came to save mankind (see John 1: 29); and later Luke wrote of how all of the players in Christ’s pre-scripted passion played their parts – in total free-will – to bring about God’s redemptive plan for His church and for all of mankind (see below Acts 2: 22 – 24<) …

----------------------
Acts 2: 22 …"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing Him to the cross. 24 But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.
---------------------------

And one can see through history, the glorious coming together of all of these events at the time of Christ’s final Passover in that fate-filled time of the world to display the panorama of God’s scheme for His church – all of it known from the foundation of time (see 1st Peter 1: 20).

And it was all for me (and you)!

My Prayer Today: Hallelujah, my Lord! You died for me! Amen

-------------------------
Administrative note … Again this month, I will be quoting Scriptures in the body of my journal entries, which may require you to look up these passages if you’re serious about the passages which you don’t know “by heart.” A very good website to have ready if you’re following along with my entries is BibleGateway.com, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search= , which will allow you to look up the passage in the version of the Bible you prefer. Again, I’ll be using NIV with the passages highlighted each day.

More Munchkins in the Snow

Well, ... trying to mix the loves of my life, Christ and family, here's a few more fotos taken when our two families of muchkins got together in Colorado for some fun in the snow up in Winter Park, CO. Above [last foto] is the littlest snow bunny, Alexandra. What a funny little bunny she is, too!!! Though she's not quite old enough for the slopes yet.

Her sister, Amanda, [just above Alex on the right in the pink outfit] has found her way to the slopes, however; and she's becoming quite the little skier for a four year old. Her Memphis Cousin, Sydney, (above left with Amanda) joined her cousin on the Winter Park slopes; and Syd has also has fallen in love with skiing. Though we think Amanda will move ahead in ability because of her availability to the slopes this season.

But not all of the kiddos really got into the skiing bigtime. The little muchkin in tears above is Brooklyn, Sydney's sister; and she was a bit overwhelmed by the skiing deal ... and in the foto above, she's shedding a tear because of the exhaustion of ski lessons. When we asked Brookie about whether she liked the skiing or not, she replied candidly, "Well, ... actually, ... no!" Pretty much said it all ... no more skiing for a while for Brooklyn.

But they all had fun sledding, building snowmen, and tossing a few snowballs ... fun and family in the snow ... And we are so blessed to share in these fotos of their fun ... Bill and Elly B

Devotionals on Humility

For any reader ... For some months now I have been posting my journal entries from my daily devotionals for others to read on our Battle Plan Ministry forums. Personally, this helps me to be accountable for the discipline of my daily quiet times with God; but it also is a way that I might share what God is bringing to me in the way of His wisdom.

I thought it may be a good discipline to add these journal entries here; and so, for the month of March, I will do so. Currently I'm using a devotional book edited by John MacArthur, entitled Strength for Today; and his devotionals for the month of March concern the topic of true "humility" and the importance of that attitude in the Christian life.

So, this month I'll post daily journal entries as comments to this one Blog. If you desire to read any of them daily or periodically, you can click on the comments tab and find them for March, 2008. I'm praying that God can bring some insights into Christian humility that will help you as well as this seeker. So, below you will find the entry for March 1 ... <'BB><

===============================================

A Year of Daily Devotionals: A Journal by Bill Berry … March, 2008

March 1, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: James 4: 6 – But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." [Prov. 3: 34]

My Journal for Today: This month I (we) will be looking at one of the most important attitudes a Christian can foster in his life … that of HUMILITY. Why is it so important? Well, come along with me as we answer that question, always with the help of John MacArthur in his Strength for Today devotional book.

And today, the first day of March, we begin with the teachings of James, the half-brother of Jesus. I’m convinced that the Apostles James and Simon Peter were buddies. If you read today’s verse and then you read 1st Peter 5: 6, you’ll see that they were in total accord with the Old Testament when it came to their opinion on how to unlock God’s treasure chest of grace. They both quoted the same verse from the Old Testament in Prov. 3: 34 about this matter of God providing His grace only to the humble and withholding it from the proud. And so, for the Christian who desires to capture as much of God’s grace as he/she can, this becomes a key truth – i.e., that humility is the key to God’s grace.

It certainly was the key that unlocked God’s saving grace for me, when, on April 13, 1983, I finally was able/willing to humble myself and receive Christ as my Savior and Lord. For years I had let my pride get in the way of pursuing Christ. But when I finally was humble enough to recognize and repent of my sinfulness, God poured His saving grace into my life. And now, in my discipleship and growth as a Christian, I’ve discovered that this truth ALWAYS applies for God’s enabling grace as well. Pride shuts the door to God’s shower of grace; and humility opens it!

My sinfulness prior to 4/13/83 was great. I certainly didn’t deserve God’s saving grace; but He offered it anyway (see John 3: 16 and Romans 10: 9 – 13). And when I was able to recognize my sinfulness, repent, and reach out in humility to receive God’s gift of saving grace (Eph. 2: 8 - 9), it was there for me; and my life has never been the same. Oh, yes, I’m still battling my sin nature. All Christians do. However, I now know that as long as I can remain humble before God’s throne of grace, He will pour His enabling grace into my life to help me overcome my sinfulness and to walk in a manner worth of His grace (Eph. 4: 1, 2).

So, if you’re reading this, you must first ask yourself if you’ve humbly come to God and asked for His saving grace. If you have and you know that you’re saved, perhaps you desire more of Gods’ enabling grace in your life – the grace that gives you power to overcome your weaknesses (see 2nd Cor. 12: 9). Well if that’s the case, it would behoove you to look at your attitude about living. Are you letting your pride block the treasure of God’s grace which awaits the humble servant who is willing to serve others before self? If you’re willing to live by Luke 9: 23, the words of Jesus to His disciples about being His follower, then you will have all the grace you need to follow our Lord [also see 2nd Peter 1: 3 – 4].

My Prayer Today: It’s a scary prayer, Lord; but help me to be humble! Amen

Berry Patch Munchkins

At the suggestion of a dear brother in Christ and friend, I'd like to lighten up a bit and personalize this Elderberry Blog with a couple of recent photos of our little Berry Patch Munchkins.

We love gathering the four together whenever we can. The first shot above is all of the Berry Patch girls, moms and daughters, playing together in a pool in Daytona Beach last spring. Then you see our four snow bunnies during a snow/ski gig out in Colorado this past week. The two Joyce sisters from CO are on the outside and the Robbins duo from TN in the middle. Obviously they were having a ball in the snow up on the slopes.

We'll try to duplicate this family togetherness in Disney World this next September. These little ones just can't seem to get enough of the Disney scene. And we love to see the glee on their faces as they share life together in Florida.

I hope you are not bored by seeing the joy that God has brought into our lives by the blessing of these four. You are likely to see more of them here in the future. ... Bill

Starting Over

This "blogging business" is still new to me. Back in 2004 I started a blog here; and with all of my online ministry and Eldership duties (and a chronic visual reading disorder), I found it difficult to get into the blogging habit. So, I discontinued. I have since deleted that first attempt; and now I'm restarting here. I can't guarantee that I'll go on with this; but we'll see where it leads.

Let me begin with an introduction. You can check out my profile to see who I am; but I'd like to highlight the priority of being called to lead a ministry called Battle Plan Ministry [link to website provided]. I'll leave it to you to check that site out and see what BPM is all about. But after "retiring" (I like the term "commencement" rather than "retirement") from a 33 year career in health care, I was called to found/lead BPM. Other than the priorities of being "PawPaw" to four beautiful little granddaughters and being an Elder in our church (they like to call me "ElderBerry" ;>), BPM consumes much of my mental and spiritual energy.

If you are reading this and you stand with me as a brother or sister in Christ, I pray that we all aspire to walk in the truth of Eph. 4: 1, as well as Luke 9: 23; and I also pray that we have found our purpose in Luke 4: 18 and Matt. 28: 19 - 20. But though I've provided hyperlinks to all those passages, many of you probably know them by heart anyway. At any rate, I do hope that this initial blog attempt (or maybe re-attempt) will get me restarted into the bloggers' culture.

We'll see ...

Yours in Christ ... Bill [aka, "Billy Bob" - "Elderberry" - "Willie B"]