Learning to Wait Patiently

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” -Isaiah 40:31.  “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.-Psalm 37:7.  “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” -Psalm 37:4  (KJV).

Waiting for some special event or even for some ‘ordinary’ occurrence to transpire is not always easy.  But if we can be patient while waiting and make even the waiting time productive, we will grow stronger in the process.  Today for our meditation on waiting patiently, I offer thoughts from my poem, Waiting. (This poem was composed 11.03.2006 when circumstances demanded much patience.)

Why am I impatient, Lord,

When You speak of peace and rest?

Your time is not in earthly hours;

Your Way a higher quest.

While waiting may I take the time

To savor each good hour.

May I learn the added blessings

That come from Your great power.

Patience fosters fortitude.

From each grows a mighty Vine

Called abiding in the Spirit

And dependence on the line

Of daily prayer and supplication,

Of relying on Your Word:

Your promises to us who follow

That your grace will undergird.

Strength as in eagle’s mighty wings

That bear the peerless bird in flight

Is promised for my journey

Through cloudy day or darkest night.

I will take courage in the waiting,

Delight myself in God’s rich store,

Build memories of the good days

And anticipate many more

Spent in God’s perfect time frame

Gaining patience day by day

Until His wondrous mural

Is completed in His way.                                  - 

Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.27.2016

Memory Verse: Inner Peace

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” -John 14:27 (NKJV)

True peace is inward and can come only from a right relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
      The occasion of this statement from Jesus that He would give His disciples peace was made in the Upper Room on the night He was betrayed. He was facing death on the cross, yet He said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you.” He who knew peace in what He was doing wanted His followers then and now to know the source of peace and the means of peace. Even amidst conflict, the believer can have the confidence and peace that come from trusting in Christ and relying on His promises. It is through faith that we know the peace Jesus promised.

      Hymns and their words are inspiring and helpful to me as I think of the inner peace Jesus gives. There’s the rousing spiritual “I’ve Got Peace Like a River” with the old words of the spiritual tune arranged by William J. Reynolds:
“I’ve got peace like a river, Ive’ got peace like a river;
I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.”
Then in the second and third verses we add appropriately, “I’ve got love….” “I’ve got joy…”
      If I want a quieter expression, I remember words by Edgar Page Stites (1836-1923) in the hymn “Trusting Jesus,” set to music by that revival musician of another century, Ira D. Sankey (1840-1908):
“Simply trusting ev’ry day, Trusting thro’ a story way;
Even when my faith is small, Trusting Jesus that is all.
Trusting as the moments fly, Trusting as the days go by;
Trusting Him whate’er befall; Trusting Jesus, that is all.”
      Prayer: Father when all around us our times are troubled, may we remember the source of inner peace and “let not our hearts be troubled; neither let them be afraid, “ but trust wholly in the Lord. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.25.2016

Memory Verse: Observe the Lord’s Instruction

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” -Joshua 1:8 (NKJV).

The occasion of this verse is Joshua’s commission by the Lord God himself that he was to succeed Moses as the leader of the Israelites prior to their crossing the Jordan River and conquering and settling into the land God had promised to them. The first chapter of Joshua is composed of three speeches. Verses 1-9 give God’s message to Joshua commissioning him to succeed Moses and promising to be with the new leader if he will be strong, courageous, observe the law, not be afraid or dismayed, and accept God’s presence wherever Joshua goes. What a way to start a job! To know that God Himself is with the leader and will guide, protect and guard in all he does.
      Verses 10-15 contain Joshua’s address to the Israelites giving a charge to the officers and the trans-Jordan tribes before their crossing into the promised land.
Verses 16-18 contain the people’s response to Joshua’s challenge and their promise to follow Joshua as their leader. God’s commission, and Joshua and the people’s responses are all stately and filled with purpose.
      The focal verse, Joshua 1:8, given specifically for the leader has a great message for any who will take its truths to heart. The Rev. Arthur Flake, known for his work in helping Sunday Schools to be strong and grow, writes in his final book, Life at Eighty As I See It (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1944, p. 80): “I memorized this verse more than fifty years ago. It is still fresh and invigorating, and I still love it.” Two commands are given by God in this verse concerning His Word, the Bible: Meditate on it night and day. Observe to do what is written in it. Two promises are given by God as a result of following God’s Word: The doer of the word will make His way prosperous and will have success.
      In a Bill Gothard seminar held in 1971, that Christian leader defined “meditation” as “memorizing, visualizing and personalizing” a verse for one’s own good. He also described “wisdom” as seeking to see from God’s point of view. Here in Josuah 1:8-9, we hear God speaking to a leader with a great task and responsibility before him. God promised Joshua He would lead him and be with him. We are to know God has that same promise for each of His children, in each of their particular tasks and callings. Just hear God, as Joshua heard Him: “Do not let God’s Word depart from you; meditate on it day and night; be careful to do what it says. Do not turn away from its teachings.” Then follow the meditation by assimilating God’s wonderful promise to the one who follows His Word: “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

     I haven’t written a book, like Dr. Arthur Flake, entitled Life at Eighty As I See It, but I with the advantage of four-score and ten years and more in my life span, echo the words God spoke to Joshua and say they are every bit true and trustworthy. And the “prosperity” and “success” God promises are not so much in wealth and fame as in supplying what is needed and in satisfaction of doing faithfully what God calls one to do. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.24.2016

Memory Verse: Scripture

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” -2 Timothy 3:15-16 (KJV).

 These two verses explain why the scripture is our guide for faith and practice. First, God inspired the scriptures to be written. Then He set strong purposes for the scriptures, for “doctrine”—our belief system; “for reproof”—our limitations from wrongdoing; for “correction”—our insight into right rather than wrong; and for “instruction in righteousness”—our inspiration for right living. Then the overall purpose of the scriptures is summarized: that the “man of God”—the believer—may have a basis and reason for practicing a lifestyle of good works. This admonition of Paul the Apostle to his “son in the gospel,” the young man Timothy, was akin to the much-loved statement from the Old Testament: “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105).
      We need to believe firmly in the inspiration of the scriptures. Someone has described “inspiration” as the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, “breathing upon” those who wrote the scripture so that the Word of God would come to us clearly and unadulterated. The Holy Spirit was present in the writing of the scriptures and in the translation of the scriptures so that people of all languages would receive the message God intended mankind to have.
      Rene Pache, a theologian and strong Christian leader, described inspiration of the scriptures: “Inspiration is the determining influence executed by the Holy Spirit on the writers of the Old and New Testaments in order that they might proclaim and set down in an exact and authentic way the message as received from God.”
      As children in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, we learned choruses and songs that helped us to love the Bible, the Word of God, and to know that it was given to us as a guide for living our lives. I recall now the little chorus that spelled out important truths about God’s Word: “The B-I-B-L-E, Yes that’s the Book for me! I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E!”
      And we also sang Psalm 119:105 to a memorable tune: “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path!”
      But with a lofty tune, “Bread of Life,” composed by William F. Sherwin (1826-1888) we sang the words of the hymn, “Break Thou the Bread of Life” written by Mary A. Lathbury (1841-1913) [stanzas 1 and 2] and Alexander Groves [stanzas 3, 4]: (1) “Break Thou the bread of life, Dear Lord to me; As Thou didst break the loaves beside the sea; Beyond the sacred page, I seek Thee, Lord; My Spirit pants for Thee, O living Word.” (4) “O send Thy Spirit, Lord, Now unto me, That He may touch mine eyes, And make me see: Show me the truth concealed Within Thy Word, And in The Book revealed I see Thee, Lord.”
      Prayer: May our love for and knowledge of Thy Word grow stronger day by day, Lord, as we commit it to memory and into practice and live lives committed to You. Amen.
- Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.23.2016

Memory Verse: Trust

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths.” -Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV). [Read Proverbs 3]

Continuing with verses we ought to commit to memory, I was compelled to include Proverbs 3:5-6. Early in my Christian walk, I memorized these two verses and adopted them, along with other specific verses, to be my “life verses”—that is, verses I would repeat often, meditate upon and seek to live by the truths conveyed.
      The wise pastor who taught me about the value of life verses and what they mean in a Christian’s life, the Rev. Claude C. Boynton, has long gone from this earthly scene. But his influence lives on in the way I conduct my life now, how I depend on the well-placed trust he taught me in the Lord. I thank him for his teaching and example.
      Webster defines “trust” as assured reliance on the character, ability and strength of someone or some thing. For the Christian, that trust is placed in the Lord Jesus Christ, first for salvation and the restoration of our fellowship with God which sin marred and took away. But in addition to trust for salvation, saving of the soul for eternity, the one with this well-placed trust knows assuredly the Lord also provides guidance and stability for life itself. Trust produces a relationship that does not have to question the reliability of the one trusted. The writer of Proverbs confidently lauded that well-placed trust. The Lord who has captured the believer’s heart will at all times direct the paths of the trusting one.
      In addition to the above familiar verses (which, if you have not already, please memorize), the author of Proverbs 3 gave other directives that benefit the one trusting. The believer seeks always to keep the commandments of the Lord (v. 1). Mercy and truth should be as much with the believers as if bound about his neck as an amulet, ever-present with the person (v. 3). Fear or awe and reverence for the lord become a way of life, signs of a healthy, productive lifestyle (vv. 7-8). Correction from the Lord should be expected, even as a loving father disciplines his children (v. 12). A major benefit of trusting the Lord is happiness (vv. 13, 16). Freedom from fear follows those who trust in the Lord (vv. 24-26).
      As one who has lived beyond the “three-score and ten years” promised in Psalm 90:10, I can attest to the joy and fullness of a well-place trust in the Lord. Although I have not always lived up to this trust in the Lord, as expressed in Proverbs 3:5-6, the truths of these verses have been a strong anchor in my life, drawing me back to God and forgiveness when I tended to go astray. The strong urging of “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding,” had a definite pull on my decisions. Prayer and supplication, seeking a clear answer to challenges, has drawn me back time and again to seeking the Lord’s answers. Assurance and confidence lie in acknowledging the Lord and asking Him to direct my paths. He has rewarded and keeps on rewarding my trust with His answers. Selah! - Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.22.2016

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” -Psalm 118:24 (KJV)

To awaken each morning and consciously think and repeat Psalm 118:24 is an excellent and affirming way to begin each new day.
      Dr. Robert J. Morgan reminds us that God is in the day-making business. Every twenty-four hours a new day rolls off God’s time-making plan. His compassion and care for us is present every day, ready to be affirmed and assimilated.
      Whatever challenge we face in each day, if we are secure in the belief that God made the day and gave it to us to use and rejoice in, we can be more confident in why we are here at this particular time in history and what the Lord has for us to do. Try, upon awaking, to repeat with sincerity and joy Psalm 118:24. Thus starting the day with God will make your outlook brighter, your anticipation sharper.
      Sir Isaac Watts (1674-1748) used the words of Psalm 118:24 as the basis of his words in the hymn, “This Is the Day the Lord Has Made.” It was set to the tune “Arlington” by musician Thomas A. Arne (1710-1778). The message of the hymn still inspires:
“This is the day the Lord has made; He calls the hours His own;
Let heav’n rejoice, let earth be glad, And praise surround the throne.
Blest be the Lord who comes to us With messages of grace;
Who comes, in God the Father’s name, To save our sinful race.”

      Prayer: Thank you for this new day, Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in it!” Amen! - Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.21.2016

Memory Verse: Faith

“For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast.” -Ephesians 3:8-9 (KJV)

If you ask a person if he/she is going to heaven when death comes, you might get various answers: “I hope so.” Or “I’m living a good, clean life; I hope I will get to heaven.” But Ephesians makes it quite clear that we can never get to heaven by our own merits. We cannot be “good enough,” “clean enough,” or “do enough good works.”
      A person is saved by grace through faith. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Grace and salvation are gifts to the person who comes in faith to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ gave His life as a sacrifice for sins—meaning an individual believer’s sins.
      “Justification by grace through faith” was the rallying cry of the Reformation.
      Works, no matter how many or how good, cannot save a person. Good works follow faith and acceptance of the grace offered by the Lord Jesus Christ. But good works are not the means to grace and forgiveness.
      John Bunyan who wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress stated: “One of the greatest mysteries in the world—namely, that a righteousness that resides with a Person in heaven should justify me, a sinner on earth.” - Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.20.2016

Memory Verse: The Word

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” -John 1:1 (KJV; NKJV; ESV)

Perhaps you have noted for three days now that I have placed “Memory Verse” on the second line of the title of these daily devotionals. I began on Thursday with Genesis 1:1. Friday’s verse was John 3:16.

      Today’s verse is John 1:1. I am suggesting verses we ought to commit to memory for the value they are in doctrine, life-practice, inspiration and centrality to the Christian message.
I have a book in my personal library by Robert J. Morgan entitled 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know By Heart. The book suggests that the 100 verses he cites for memorization are not all that should be committed to memory, but a beginning. Memorization is “vital for mental and emotional health and for spiritual well-being” writes Dr. Morgan. I hope you will follow as we proceed with many of the verses suggested for memorization, and that the devotional thoughts on the verses will help you to remember them well.
      “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Word is a name for the Second Person of the Trinity. Jesus is His human name. Savior and Redeemer refer to His purpose in coming to earth. He was in the beginning with God. He was then God and He is now God, and will forever be God. He was with God; Jesus Himself said, “My Father and I are One” (see John 17:21). Togetherness characterizes the identity of Father and Son, their purpose and work.
“In the beginning was the Word” echoes Genesis 1:1” “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” “The Word” conveys the idea of divine self-expression, and the Word wants to make Himself known to us. Jesus did this by “the word becoming flesh and dwelling among us” (John 1:14).
     The Word came to dwell among us. As a result, “We have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14b). Jesus, in coming to earth, “has made him (the Father) known.” (John 1:18b).
      “John 1:1 speaks of Jesus Christ’s preexistence: “In the beginning was the Word.”
It speaks of His coexistence: “And the Word was with God.”
It also speaks of His divine existence: “And the Word was God.” (Robert J. Morgan. 100 Bible Verses…Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2010, p. 49).
In John 1:1 we see Christ as:
(1)--the Eternal Word—from the very beginning He was with God;
(2)--the Creative Word—with God, Jesus said “let there be…” and all things were created;
(3)--the Incarnate Word—“and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (v. 14).

Thank You, God, that the Word shows us Who you are. Amen. -Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.18.2016

Memory Verse: God’s Love

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16 (KJV).

John 3:16 is the most-memorized verse in the Bible. Children learn this Bible verse at their mother’s knees and in Sunday School or catechism classes. Adults who have learned the verse quote it silently for consolation or aloud for testimony and affirmation. Countless sermons have been preached on this text and numerous lessons taught on its truth. Devotional thoughts on the verse are so numerous that the writings could fill volumes. And here is still one more devotional to add to the number.
      The Amplified Bible version of John 3:16 reads: “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only-begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish—come to destruction, be lost—but have eternal (everlasting) life.” Eugene Peterson’s The Message Bible reads: “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.”
      An inspiring story is written of evangelist Henry Moorhouse and how John 3:16 affected him. Moorhouse, who at age sixteen in 1859 when revival was sweeping England, was gloriously converted. Moorhouse, already a gambler, gang leader and thief, and one who had spent time in prison, heard the message of Jesus. He heard Evangelist Richard Weaver preaching in the busy city of Manchester, England in the Alhambra Circus tent on a night in 1859.
      Entering to ridicule, instead Moorhouse’s mind was arrested by hearing the glorious name of Jesus in an impassioned message by Rev. Weaver. On the spot, Henry Moorhouse gave his heart to the Lord, realizing that Jesus loved even such a sinner as he. Almost immediately, the 16-year old convert, Moorhouse, began associating with members of the evangelistic team that went throughout England preaching the gospel. Others who had a great influence on Moorhouse were the Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, honored pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London and Henry Gratton Guiness, Principal of London’s Est End Institute. Appearing in many towns, the evangelistic team made up of the Rev. John Hambleton, preacher, Edward Usher, singer, and the young Henry Moorhouse, a disciple, gave testimony of forgiveness and grace and touched many who heard. Even at the tercentenary of the William Shakespeare Festival at Stratford-upon-Avon, Hambleton, Usher and Moorhouse went fervently among the crowd with placards that read: “Christ for Me! Praise the Lord! Mercy’s free!”
     When Rev. Dwight L. Moody and his evangelical singer, Ira Sankey, were in England conducting revivals, they met the young and spirit-filled Henry Moorhouse. Moody told the young man that if he were ever in America, he would be welcome to preach in the church where Moody was pastor.
      In 1868, Henry Moorhouse did come to America and made his way to Philadelphia. Rev. Dwight L. Moody was away, but the elders in the church where Moody was pastor decided to allow Moorhouse to preach, for he told them Rev. Moody had invited him to do so. For three nights he preached mightily, using John 3:16 as his text each night. Upon his return, Moody’s wife told her husband: “The young preacher tells even sinners that God loves them. His preaching is different.” Upon hearing the young man expound again on John 3:16 on the fourth night, Moody’s own heart was deeply touched. He testified later: “I never knew up to that time that God loved us so much. This heart of mine began to thaw out; I could not keep back the tears. I just drank it in. So did the crowded congregation. I tell you, there is one thing that draws above everything else in the world and that is love.” (from Richard E. Day: Bush Aglow: Life of Moody. Philadelphia: Judson Press, c1945, p. 145). From that time forward, Rev. Dwight L. Moody’s evangelical preaching took a new turn. He wanted to make sure everyone to whom he preached could hear of the amazing love of God for all people, for we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And Moody heard this challenge from a young preacher who died at age 40 on December 27, 1880. Moorhouse’s last words on his deathbed, even in his suffering, were: “Ask prayer for me to suffer for Christ better than ever I preached for Him. I only want to glorify Him.”
      “How much did Jesus love me?” asked the evangelist in a heart-felt appeal. “He loved me this much” (he said, stretching out his arms and hands in a wide sweep from his body). “He loved me this much; and He stretched out His arms and died for me!” - Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.17.2016

Memory Verse: Beginnings

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” -Genesis 1:1 (KJV).

In the beginning was God.
He spoke and all things created came into being.
First there was chaos, a void, darkness covered the expanse of nothingness.
God hovered in power over the face of the abyss.
God spoke. He said, “Let there be light!” And light shone, brilliant, iridescent, in splendor.
God separated light from darkness. Day and night were born by the power of His voice.
The light period He called Day and the dark period He called Night.
God spoke again: The firmament, Heaven, separated from the waters, Sea.
God’s mighty voice spoke again: Earth appeared. The Seas gathered in ordered confines.
God commanded the Earth to bring forth vegetation, trees, fruit, and verdant growth.
By then it was the third day of creation. What a mighty God is at the helm of Creation!
God spoke and the universe embraced Day and Night, with lights to characterize each.
Beautiful and resplendent, the daytime and nighttime, ordered, arranged by God Almighty.
God thought awhile and spoke into being all the Sea creatures, great and small.
God thought further and fashioned all the Earth animals, each in its special habitat.
“Who will watch over all this marvelous Creation?” God asked.
And on the sixth day of creation He made Man, a real person, fashioned in His own image.
While a deep sleep came upon the man-made-in the image-of-God, God created a woman.
God introduced the Woman (Eve) to Man (Adam), and it was love at first sight.
Adam exclaimed: “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!” He was happy, indeed.
Then God surveyed all that He had made in the first six days of Creation.
He saw that it was all very good. He was exceedingly pleased with what He had created.
And the seventh day He hallowed, and rested from His work of creation.
The Man and Woman rested in the beautiful Garden called Eden.
In the beginning the world was fresh, new, radiant, resplendent, perfect, complete.
The Creator God saw that all was very good; He was pleased with His noble creation. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.16.2016

The Lord’s Judgment on Boastfulness

“Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight,’ declares the Lord.” -Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV).

Webster’s dictionary tells us that “boast” means “to puff oneself up in speech; to speak vaingloriously; to speak or assert with excessive pride.” Some synonyms of “boast” are to brag, to talk big, to gloat, to vaunt, to exult.” The wise writer of Proverbs wrote: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18, ESV). Jeremiah, often called “the weeping prophet” because of his lamentations over his nation’s rebellion, downfall and judgment at the hands of God, nonetheless sought to teach and preach that there was a way to follow God that was pleasing to Him and that would bring peace to the people. We are not to boast in wisdom—what we know; or strength—how strong we are to withstand whatever occurs; or riches—how much we own. Rather, if we boast, we are to take pride in the Lord whom we can know personally; whose steadfast love encompasses us; and who executes love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. These we can count on, for God is the author of love, justice, and righteousness.
      I read in the “Helping Hands” Missions prayer letter that on March 16, 2012, the scripture from Jeremiah 9:23-24 was read and assimilated by Dr. Brenda Kowalske, missionary doctor to Uganda, on the eve of her signing papers for the land there that would become the “Village of Eden,” a mission project to help with the spiritual, educational and medical needs of the people in the area where she and her workers were opening a bold mission project to reach people for the Lord. That was four years ago. Prayerfully and deliberately, and with help from Christian groups in Georgia and elsewhere, she, with God’s help and the help of many people who believe in the project, has proceeded under God’s direction to build and expand VOE (The Village of Eden) until today it cares for many sick people, houses orphans, has an excellent school, and an active church. Dr. Kowalske took literally the promise from Jeremiah 9 that God’s intention is to exercise love, kindness, and justice. And the amazing thought is that He invites us to be the instruments by which His knowledge and love are made known, even “as the waters that cover the sea.” Dr. Kowalske well-named her mission outreach “Helping Hands,” for such it has been in the places in the world, like Uganda and Brazil, where she has opened ministries to reach people for the Lord.
      Our area of ‘helping hands’ may be closer home. We are not to boast of what we do—but of God’s work through us his servants to make this world a better place to live. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.15.2016