One day last week, Bill and I ate lunch at Golden Corral in Casa Grande, Arizona.  As fate would have it, we were seated right in front of the dessert bar.  And for the ones of you who know me, this was not a good choice.  I love sweets and I do not have much will power when it comes to sweets.  I could easily just skip the meal and go straight to the desserts, which is not good when you are trying to eat healthy.  Consequently, I must admit I did partake in one or two or maybe even three of the desserts before we left.  And I enjoyed every bite.
But something else that I enjoyed during that meal was watching all the other people as they came to the bar.  They would start at one end and walk slowly to the other end.  They would thoroughly inspect every item on the bar.  Sometimes they would do this more than once before they would actually make a decision.  But finally, each person that came to the bar would grab a plate and give in to their desires.  They would always walk away with at least one dessert on their plate but more often than not they would fill their plate with several different desserts.  As I observed, not one person walked away with an empty plate.
As I watched this pattern over and over, it occurred to me that this is a perfect illustration of how Christians are often persuaded to fall into ungodly, worldly ways.  We put ourselves in the wrong places.  We allow ourselves to become comfortable living too close to sin.  We watch as other people participate in activities that are not considered Godly.  We watch as it seems like these people are having so much fun.  Sometimes, we even walk beside them thinking that we can be the stronger person and we can lead them in the right direction instead of them leading us in the wrong direction.  We decide that if we just give in a little, it will be okay. But it’s not okay!
You see, had I not sit right there in front of the desserts watching as everyone else topped off their meals by splurging with desserts, I might have had the willpower to resist.  Had I sit on the other end of the restaurant far away from the temptation, I might have been stronger.  But since I didn’t, I held out as long as I could (which wasn’t very long) and then I convinced myself that it would be okay to have a cheat day.  I had been doing really well on my diet plan and one bad day would be okay.  I could make up for it by walking an extra mile or by eating less the next day.
The same is true with sin.  If we put our self in the presence of sin, it will sometimes start to look appealing. It will become harder and harder to resist. We may even try to justify what we are doing by saying that everyone else does it.  We, as Christians, need to avoid those situations which we know might have a tendency to make us falter. Stay away from those places that look appealing to our worldly flesh.  Just like it says in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  We may also need to stay away from people who try to bring us down.  In Romans 16:17, we are told, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”  And in II Thessalonians 3:6 we are also told, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”
Since none of us are perfect and temptations seem to surround us, we need to do our best to avoid those places, situations, and people who might cause us to falter.  In fact, the next time I eat at Golden Corral, I am going to sit on the far side of the dessert bar.  I am going to try my best to avoid the temptations! For it says in I Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”




This is Nana Nancy, Let Jesus be YOUR Guide as you enjoy YOUR ride!

Several weeks ago, Bill preached a Sunday evening service at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Farmersville, Texas.  During the invitation, he placed a $20 bill on the communion table and offered it to anyone who would come to the front and take it.  He did this as an illustration as to how easy it is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Several minutes passed and no one would come down and accept the money.  Perhaps this was because they were afraid, or maybe embarrassed, or maybe they didn’t really believe it was actually free. But whatever the reason, no one would take the money.
As Bill continued to offer the money, a young boy came running down the aisle. He ran right up to the table and everyone assumed he was getting the money.  But he didn’t stop at the table.  Instead he just ran right on by.  He was so close to accepting it, but he still didn’t. He passed it by.  An older gentleman took the small lad and led him back to the table but he still would not take the money.  He actually turned his head away from the table so that he couldn’t even see the money.  The money remained on the table.
Bill continued to offer the $20 bill.  He elaborated on all the things you could do with a $20 bill, such as make a trip to Dairy Queen after church.  He said everything he could think of to make the money more desirable. Finally, after much persuasion from Bill, another child slowly came down the aisle and accepted the money.  The money was then hers.  Just because she was willing to step out on her own, she now had $20 to spend as she chose.
As I watched this scenario take place, I thought, “Isn’t this exactly how lost people react to the calling from God?”  They hear about the Lord and they know they need to accept Him; but for some reason they never take the final step.  Perhaps, they are afraid, or maybe they are concerned about what their friends and family will think.  Sometimes they may just be waiting for a better day.  Nonetheless they never accept Jesus as their savior.
As Christians, it is our responsibility to tell others about Jesus.  We need to be striving to lead lost people to Christ.  We do this by praying for lost people, ministering to lost people, and of course, witnessing to lost people.  However, it doesn’t matter how much we pray, minister, or witness; the lost person must be the one to actually take the initiative and accept Jesus.  We cannot do it for them.  In Romans 10:9-13, we are told, “That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shall be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the scripture saith whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.  FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”
We cannot make the final decision for our lost friends and family.  However, we can try to live life in such a way that others watching us will want to have what we have.  We can practice what we preach. We can do our best to live as Jesus did.  So my question is, “If a lost person is watching you, is your life a reflection of a life they would want to have?”
This is Nana Nancy, Let Jesus be YOUR Guide as you enjoy YOUR ride!

How many of you ladies out there enjoy getting a pedicure?  I know I surely do!  Actually, I would say that is one of my favorite ways to pamper myself.  I love soaking my feet in hot water.  I love having all of that ugly tough skin scrapped off my heels. I even love having my legs rubbed down with lotion.  But I especially enjoy walking away from the nail parlor knowing that I now have soft, smooth feet and that my toenails are painted to perfection.
But it doesn’t last.  I am a country girl and I love to be barefoot.  In fact, I would never wear shoes if it wasn’t expected of me, especially in the summer time.  And if I must wear shoes, I am perfectly content with a pair of flip flops. After all, they do make some really pretty ones these days.  So as you can see, I don’t make a point to take care of my feet and in just a few short days, they look just like they did before I pampered myself with a pedicure.  The toenails start growing out and losing their polish, the heels start getting hard and cracking again, and the bottoms begin to look as if I never take a bath.  And before you know it you can’t even tell I had a pedicure.  So what do I do?  I either cover my feet with shoes and socks, or I go back for another pedicure.  It’s a never ending cycle.
And did I mention that every time I get a pedicure, I promise myself that I am going to take better care of my feet and never let them look so bad again.
I think that this same principle is true with many Christians.  We go to church on Sunday. We hear a great message.  We feel really close to God.  And then life happens. We return to our jobs on Monday and forget all about taking care of our relationship with God.  We neglect reading our bible, spending time talking with God, spending time listening to God, fellowshipping with other Christians, and often we even are too busy to worship God by attending church.  So guess what happens, we revert back to our old selves.  Just as our feet become ugly when we neglect them, our lives become ugly when we neglect God.
The Bible plainly tells us that there are things we need to do in order to draw closer to God.  For instance, In Matthew, Jesus said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  We are told in Romans that ‘faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  II Timothy 2:1 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  And in Hebrews 10:25 it tells us that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
So just as I can’t depend on an occasional single pedicure to help me have the feet I want to have, we can’t depend on a single church service to give us the relationship we need to have with the Lord. We must nourish this relationship.  We must do the things that God has told us to do.  We must work hard to become the person that God wants us to be.  And the job will never be finished.  It will always be a work in progress.
This is Nana Nancy, Let Jesus be YOUR Guide as you enjoy YOUR ride!
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I had a little scare with Ryleigh, my oldest granddaughter, this morning.  She had to be rushed to the emergency room by ambulance because she had some type of seizure.  She was in Alexandria in her college apartment and I was in Florien which is about 70 miles away.  Plus Bill and I were packing to leave for Farmerville, Texas, which meant I was fixing to be going in the opposite direction from her.  And if you know me, you know that that’s enough to make me an unhappy camper.  However, shortly after we started our journey, I was able to talk with RyLeigh and I knew then that she was going to be okay.
But in the meantime, I had posted a request for urgent prayer on my Facebook page.  Many people responded and started praying immediately.  One of the responses came from a dear cousin of mine.  We texted back and forth several times discussing RyLeigh and how starting this new phase in her life could be a bit overwhelming.  He also shared how the song ‘Bring on the Rain’ by Jo Dee Messina had helped him learn how to deal with tough situations in his life.  He suggested that I share it with RyLeigh so that it might help her while she is adapting to all the changes happening in her life.
I didn’t recognize the song but he had sent me the link, so I listened to it as Bill and I were traveling west on highway 84.   At the very moment the song began playing, it started sprinkling rain.  But as often happens when you are traveling, 10 minutes later the sun was shining bright.  We had driven out of the rain and into the sunshine.  And then it hit me.  Jesus Christ does this for us.  He delivers us from the rain and brings us into the sunshine.  All we have to do is ask God for help and then trust Him to deliver.
In Mark 4:35-41 we are told the story of how Jesus and his disciples were crossing over to the other side of the sea when a storm arose.  The disciples were afraid so they woke Jesus and he calmed the storm by merely speaking the words, “Peace, be still.”   I feel like this is exactly what happened to me this morning. I was scared, I asked God for help, and God delivered. Isn’t it wonderful to know that Jesus is still able and willing to deliver us?   I realize that it doesn’t always happen that fast, but even if your sunshine doesn’t come as quickly as mine did today, it will come.
So the next time you face a storm, just ask God for help and guidance, and know that he is going to deliver.  So, just as it says in the song, “Bring on the rain…Tomorrow is another day.”
Thanks Crockett DuBose for reaching out today.  In the process of you trying to help RyLeigh, you actually helped me!


This is Nana Nancy, Let Jesus be YOUR Guide as you enjoy YOUR ride!

As I watched Jon Blake, my great-nephew, parade down the aisle of his church as he was being honored for graduating from high school, I caught a glimpse of his grandparents, Kenneth and Cindy, holding hands.  I quickly snapped a picture thinking that I would one day write a blog about those hands. I have tried for a couple of months to write about that picture but no words would come.  However, once again, God came through.  Last Sunday, as I listened to Bro. Davis preach a sermon on the hands of Jesus, thoughts began to surface.
Bro. Davis discussed a few attributes of the hands of Jesus. He used scripture to show us how Jesus’ hands are providing hands; they always take care of us.  He pointed out how Jesus’ hands are protecting hands; they protect us from harm. He explained how Jesus’ hands were prosecuting hands; Jesus will be the judge on judgment day. Jesus also has pierced hands; holes from the nails that were used as he was crucified on the cross.  And lastly he revealed to us how Jesus’ hands are pleading hands.  Jesus is always pleading with us to trust in Him and to walk closer to Him.
As my thoughts drifted back to the hands I had photographed, I concluded that grandparent’s hands have several similarities with Jesus’ hands.  For instance, grandparents provide for their grandchildren.  Just as Jesus fed the 5000 in Matthew 14, grandparents will always try to make sure that their grandchildren have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to live.  Grandparents will always strive to protect their grandchildren.  Grandparents do not prosecute or judge in the same way that Christ will; but, Godly grandparents do correct their grandchildren when they are wrong and they try to lead them in the right direction.  Grandparents have pleading hands just as Jesus did.  They are always praying for their grandchildren and trying to lead them to the Lord.
However, there is one major difference between God’s hands and grandparents’ hands. Grandparents’ hands are not pierced. Even though a grandparent might be willing to give up his/her life for a grandchild, he/she still cannot save their grandchild from spending eternity without the Lord Jesus Christ.  Only the pierced hands of Jesus can make the difference between heaven and hell.
As I think back to that Sunday morning, I can recall the love that showed on Kenneth and Cindy’s face.  I can still see the pride that showed on their faces as they watched their oldest grandson being honored for this great accomplishment, high school graduation. I can almost feel the nervousness that showed in their tightly joined hands and even more so in Kenneth’s death grip on the church pew. For 18+ years, they have helped mold Jon Blake into the young man that he has become. They have spent countless hours supporting him on the basketball court and the baseball diamond.  They have been there to watch all of his church and school programs and performances. They have entertained him and his friend’s weekend after weekend.  And they have done all of this with joy. They have happily supported him in every aspect of his life. But regardless of all they gave him, there was that one thing that they could not do for Jon Blake.  They could not make the decision for him to become a believer. That choice had to be his.  And thank the Lord, he has made that choice.
So although grandparents love and support their grandchildren; and although they provide for and protect their grandchildren, they still cannot save them. Although they lead them in the right direction and plead with them to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, they still cannot give them the one most important gift that a child needs.  Grandparents cannot provide the gift of eternal life.  This gift can only come from God.  As Jesus said in John 3:3, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And a man cannot be born again without believing in those nail scarred hands.


This is Nana Nancy, Let Jesus be YOUR Guide as you enjoy YOUR ride!

Several years ago I took the advice of a good friend and I started keeping a prayer journal.  I use this journal as a way of talking to God.  I now put all of my daily prayer concerns in writing.  Writing requests in my journal helps me to stay focused because honestly sometimes my mind will just start wandering off.   Additionally, my journal also provides me with records and reminders that God does answer my prayers.  It’s a really good feeling when you can document on paper that a prayer was answered.
I also use my prayer journal to help me with my daily bible study.  Several months ago, my daughter, Shelly, introduced me to a monthly scripture writing plan that is available online.  Each month has a special theme with a set of verses on the specific topic.  For example, this month’s theme is PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE. I learn better by writing so instead of just reading verses, I write the verses in my journal.  I then underline or highlight verses that I may want to memorize or simply be able to easily refer back to them. I have been doing this for about 10 months and it is really helping me as I try to read and study God’s word.
Well yesterday was no different.  I wrote the verses, read a few other verses, and then I wrote my prayer requests for the day.   And that was that.
Then I just started working in my house.  I cleaned and organized my utility room.  I cleaned and organized my closet. I cleaned a little on the motor home.  I emptied two boxes that have been sitting in my living room floor for months. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned.  I cooked lunch.  I cooked supper.  And while we were eating supper, Bill jokingly asked me, “What kind of pill did you take today?  Where did you get all this energy?”  I just laughed and said to Bill, “I am doing what I like to do.”  And to myself, I said, “I really haven’t accomplished this much work in a long time.” You see, I usually either don’t have the energy or I don’t have the motivation. But then I just started cleaning the kitchen and never gave it another thought.
This morning, when I opened my prayer journal, there it was in black and white.  Yesterday morning, I had literally asked God to give me the strength and willpower to get my house in order and that is exactly what He did.  He answered my prayer, and yet I had forgotten that I even asked Him for help. I wonder how many other times this has happened to me or maybe to you. How many times have we prayed, God has answered our prayer, and then we never acknowledge it or perhaps we never even realize that it was God.
In Matthew 21:22, Jesus said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” And in John 16:24, Jesus said, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”  God tells us to ask him for things and then to believe so that we can receive.  So why is it such a surprise when God answers our requests? And God doesn’t say to only ask for big things.  I believe that no request or concern is too small to carry to Him. Getting my house in order is no big deal in the big scheme of things; but, yesterday, it was a big deal to me. And I want to thank God for yesterday’s answered prayers.


This is Nana Nancy, Let Jesus be YOUR Guide as you enjoy YOUR ride!

Several weeks ago, Bill and I were in Milan, New Mexico, working at the Truckstop Ministries Chapel located at the local Petro.  While there, we drove out to the sandstone bluffs. Iver experienced    anything quite like the bluffs before. The scenery was spectacular and standing atop the bluffs made me feel as if I was on top of the world.  Looking up, you could see white, fluffy clouds filling a beautiful sky that seemed to stretch for miles. Down below laid a massive ancient lava bed which was produced from eruptions of several volcanoes.  Although I’m sure this was once nothing but black lava, now it is covered with scattered trees, bushes, cacti, and grasses. It was breath taking.
As I stood in awe of this magnificent sight, one of my favorite verses flashed through my mind.  Psalm 40:1-3 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me and heard my cry.  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God; many shall see it and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.”
After Mike, my first husband, passed away in March 2013, I felt like I was in a horrible pit.  There seemed to always be a dark black cloud hanging over me.  I had no joy in my life. I spent as much time as I could surrounding myself with my family and friends.  However, when night came, I was alone again, and the darkness would set in.  Being a widow was a very lonely life and it didn’t really get any better with time.  In fact, sometimes it actually seemed to get worse because I just assumed I would be alone for the rest of my life. Most of the time, I just felt numb.  I didn’t have any life left in me but I tried to keep my feelings covered up with a smile. I knew I would survive because I was not the first woman to lose her husband and I wouldn’t be the last.  It’s just life and life happens to all of us.
So I prayed and I prayed and I prayed.  I didn’t like feeling sad. I didn’t like feeling lonely.  I wanted to feel joy again.  I wanted to be happy. So I prayed and I prayed more.  And God answered.  He picked me up out of that pit and he set me upon a rock.  He put a new song in my mouth.  I am once again happy and I can truly sing praises to God.  God knew what I needed even before I did.  And I am praying and believing that others whom may feel as if they are also in a pit may witness my happiness and know that through God there is always HOPE.
I thank God daily for answering my prayers and sending Bill to share my life with me. I thank God for allowing me to experience true love twice.  As one of my friends who had this same experience says, I have been ‘Twice Blessed.’
This is Nana Nancy, Let Jesus be YOUR Guide as you enjoy YOUR ride!

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of helping and watching my mother as she joyfully and patiently taught three of her granddaughters and one of her great-granddaughters how to make blackberry jelly. She taught them how to prepare the jars, prepare the fruit and extract the juice, and then how to actually cook the juice and sugar to make the jelly.  Everyone involved had a great time and many memories were made.  Even the younger great-grandchildren who weren’t really interested in the cooking process enjoyed the day because they were served hot biscuits with warm jelly.
As I reflect back on the lesson we learned that day and all the other many lessons that Momma has taught her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, I realize just how blessed our family has been.  I thank God daily for allowing Momma to still be a vital part of our family.  Momma will turn 87 years old soon and she still loves spending time with us.  She loves attending the great-grandchildren’s school and church programs. She will brave the cold weather to attend one of the grand’s sporting events.  And believe me, the great-grandchildren notice that she is there and they love seeing her presence.  She always gladly and proudly supports her family in their daily activities.
But more importantly than making jelly and attending social events, Momma has also taught us how to live our lives in such that manner that people watching us will know that we are Christians and that we love the Lord. And she has taught us these lessons by example instead of by lecture.
In Proverbs 31:10-30, it says, “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.  She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.  She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.  She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.  She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.  She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.  She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.  She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.  She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.  Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.  She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.  Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.  She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.  She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.  Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.  Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.  Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.  Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
When I read this description of a virtuous woman, I immediately think of my mom. She stayed at home and took care of the house and the children while Daddy worked. Daddy never had to wonder or worry about running the household.  Momma had it under control.  She was not afraid of work. She arose early to prepare a lunch for Daddy and breakfast for us kids.  In fact, she would fix each of us our own favorite breakfast if that’s what we wanted. She had a homemade snack for us every afternoon when the bus dropped us off.  She had a hot supper on the table every evening when Daddy arrived home from work.  She sewed clothes for us.   She helped us with homework or school projects. She taught us to be kind to others. She taught us to be hard workers.  She was never idle. Basically, although she was not perfect, she was just a great mom, a virtuous woman indeed.
Another scripture that describes Momma is found in Titus 2:3-5.  “The aged woman likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”
Once again, the scripture gives a perfect description of my mom.  Momma loved my dad and she loved her children.  Momma taught us all many life lessons and she did this by her actions not her words.  Mom still reads her bible every day and she spends time in prayer daily.  In fact, every time I call her, she tells me that she has been praying for Bill and me. And I’m sure she prays for all of her children even though we are all grown.  Each of her five children will still today refer to her as blessed.
I realize that times have changed and many women have to work outside of the home now just to help make ends meet.  And that’s okay.  I worked many years outside the home myself. But the Word hasn’t changed.  We, as elder women, should still be living by these same standards. We should be teaching the younger women how to behave.  We should be teaching them the importance of church.  We should be teaching them the importance of prayer.  We should be teaching them to be virtuous women.  Are we doing this?  I’m afraid not.  If we live to be 87 years old, what will our children say about us?
This is Nana Nancy, Let Jesus be YOUR Guide as you enjoy YOUR ride!

Have you ever had a day that you would like to redo?  Well, one day last week, I had one of those days.  It wasn’t necessarily a bad day just a crazy day.  Since, we were working at a chapel in Milan, New Mexico, we decided to take a short vacation and ride our motorcycle across the four corners area. We stopped to spend the night in Monticello, Utah.  The next morning, I began the day by accidently getting sun block in my left eye.  It burned like crazy. In fact, it hurt so bad that I had to take my contact out and keep my eye closed for about 10 minutes.  I finally had to leave the motel with no eye makeup on because I couldn’t stand to open my eye.  However, after a little while, it cleared up and I could once again enjoy God’s beautiful creation as we continued to sight see through the mountains.
After several hours of riding and sightseeing, we stopped to take a much needed bathroom break.  Of course, when you are driving through a national park, your only bathroom choice is a permanent outhouse with no running water which may or may not be a little better than a port-a-potty.  So I go in and I have nowhere to sit my phone except on the six or seven rolls of toilet paper which are hung on a wire.  I find the biggest roll and carefully place my phone on top of it.  It looks safe to me.  And everything is good until I stand up and bump the toilet paper rolls.  My phone hits the concrete face down and the cover actually goes in two different directions.  I am in panic mode.  I quickly bend over to check out the condition of my phone and as I do my sunglasses fall off my face and land six feet deep in the waterless toilet never to be seen again.  Well actually I could see them but I wasn’t going after them.
Now I am really in a panic, so I ask every person in the parking lot if they have an extra pair of sunglasses that they would be willing to sell and of course no one carries extras with them.  But one couple did tell us that there was a privately owned store about 10 miles up the road; not in the direction we were going but nevertheless it was closer than anything we had passed.  Remember we are on a scenic drive in a national park.  So we head west and I am keeping my eyes closed because the wind is so strong and I have no glasses.  And believe me, a curvy, mountainous drive is no fun with your eyes closed.  However 22 miles later, we finally arrived at this one of a kind store.  And yes, they had sunglasses.
The long haired, friendly, mountain man working behind the counter pointed to a rack with three pair of sunglasses and he told me he also had a pair on the counter that someone had left behind that I could have.  Well I really didn’t want to take someone else’s sunglasses so I picked a pair from the rack.  They were the ugliest sunglasses I had ever seen.  They had great big lenses with wooden frames.  I knew I would never wear them again, but it was better than traveling with my eyes closed.  And then he told me they cost $50.  There was no way I was paying $50 for those horrible sunglasses so instead I gratefully accepted those big, red, scratched, kids-sized sunglasses that had been left behind. And now, once again, my eye problem was solved.  I could get on with my sightseeing.  And it cost me nothing.  After all, the glasses were free.
Oh, I almost forgot this part.  By this time, we needed gas.  And guess what?  They had gas, $6 a gallon gas.  Praise the Lord we were on the motorcycle and only needed three gallons.
As we rode back down the 22 miles that we had already seen, I thought about how this situation relates to our everyday lives and our need for Christ.  We ask people for help.  We wander around searching for solutions to our problems.  We go out of our way looking for happiness.  We pay high prices for material things that we think will bring us contentment. When the only thing we actually need is Christ Jesus as our personal savior.  A personal relationship with Christ can fulfill all our needs.  And this relationship is free.  It is a gift.  Just like it says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  But you must be willing to accept this gift just as I had to be willing to accept those sunglasses before they did me any good.
And since I don’t believe in coincidence, I find it very fitting that the glasses were red; just like the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross. As just like it says in I John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”  In fact, I think this song says it best: What can wash away our sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
This is Nana Nancy, Let Jesus be YOUR Guide as you enjoy YOUR ride!

Bill and I spend a lot of time traveling across the United States from truck stop to truck stop in our motor home.  We spend hours on the road trying to reach our destinations but we never seem to get in a hurry.  When we get tired, we pull over and set up our little house.  We may stay in one location for several nights or we may just stay overnight and move on.  We study, read, watch TV, play the keyboard, sing, pay our bills, cook, and anything else that we need to do.  But even still, I have lots of free time just to meditate on life.  So I have taken up a new hobby, a Blog.
I have never considered myself to be a writer, In fact being a math teacher for many years did not give me much reason to write. However, after Mike passed away, writing seemed to help me deal with the grief I was experiencing.  I started a blog about life after losing a spouse. My intentions were to hopefully help someone else that might be suffering from the loss of a loved one.  Although, I have not added any new entries in a while, the blog is still available at dunnsite.wordpress.com.  I started my new blog, which is available at nancyblackmon.com, basically as a way for our friends and family to follow us on our new journey.  But then, other ideas to write about starting popping into my mind, so now, I just simply write about ordinary, everyday objects or activities and try to apply biblical truths to these activities.
Actually, I take pictures and then I wait for God to send me a message to go with the pictures. So I take snapshots everywhere I go.  I take pictures while we are traveling down the road, while we are parked, while we are eating, while we are attending special events, etc.  Thanks to the advancement of technology and iphones, taking pictures is now fast and easy.  And I always have my camera with me.  However, ideas are not always so easy.  Several weeks ago, I just couldn’t seem to come up with any ideas.  I was still taking pictures, but no thoughts were entering my brain.  One morning, during my prayer time, I asked God to please send me some thoughts.  After all, in Matthew 21:22, Jesus told us that whatsoever we ask for in prayer, believing, we will receive.  Also in John 16:24, we are told, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” I expressed my joy in writing and I told Him I wanted to be able to continue my Blog to hopefully reach out to others.
Later that morning, as I was taking a shower, thoughts started running through my brain.  One thought after another and all my thoughts seemed to be matching my pictures.  I had to hurry up and get out of the shower so I could jot down what God was telling me.  And then I was reminded of what Ezekiel told the people of Israel, “And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.”  So I researched those verses and what Patrick Oben says in his article seems to sum it up perfectly.  He said, “When the shower falls on the earth, the crops produce their fruits, abundantly and in increasing measures. This is the blessing. It is a downpour from heaven that causes the earth to produce supernatural results. It is best conceptualized as a “shower of blessing” indeed, as showers from heaven cause the earth to become fruitful and produce abundantly.”
God answered my prayer that morning and he sent me my “shower of blessings.”
This is Nana Nancy, Let Jesus be YOUR Guide as you enjoy YOUR ride!