In 1988, Willis, my husband, traveled to North Athens Baptist Church to teach a week-long youth leadership seminar. He used the Trinity and Company youth material that he developed during the years we attended Bible college in Pineville, Kentucky. Although Willis had already been a church pastor before attending the college, he welcomed the opportunity to be part of a large church staff. As a youth director, this material was developed to help youth be active in ministry efforts by using and developing their gifts and talents. I remember him saying that as he thought back on his own youth, he remembered the feeling of being left out of the youth choir because he couldn’t sing. During his teen years, that was about the only way youth served.

As a pastor, he struggled with ideas of how to involve young Christians. Since their energy and talent is going to be harnessed by the secular world, why not utilize those same talents to further the gospel of Christ.

At the conclusion of the workshop in Tennessee and visiting with some of the men of the church, one of them asked him what he needed at the camp. (This campground was a development of Small Church Support Ministries, a non-profit organization designed to assist leaders in a small membership church setting.) He answered, “Normally, I would say money to buy materials for buildings, but today I need a sawmill.” What a strange answer! You see, Bob Pack, a member of the board of directors, had just given the organization the timber to be cleared off a hundred and fifty acres of his land. He wanted it cleared for his cattle and we needed building materials for the lodge.

The deacon from North Athens replied, “Willis, I have a sawmill and it is not being used. You can borrow it for as long as needed.” Can you believe that? God already knew, but aren’t we surprised at the when and how that God answers? Who would have thought, in a million years, that the very thing the deacon had to offer was the very thing that Willis needed?

When Willis arrived home after the week at North Athens, he called Norman Brandon in Gassville, Arkansas. Norman owned a pallet mill where most of his family worked. He asked Norman if he could use some of the boys and a big truck to pick up the sawmill but, Norman was in a busy season and couldn’t let any of the men go. He did, however, loan Willis a big truck that Willis and his brother used to haul the sawmill back from Tennessee. Now, neither one of them had ever seen a sawmill up close and sure didn’t know how to run one but, they went to work and dismantled it piece by piece. Just the saw blade alone was six feet across. They put it all back together a couple of days later when they arrived at the Pack’s farm.

Most of the next year was spent cutting trees and sawing them into 4” x 4” square logs. When a load was finished, it would then be hauled to the camp. Slowly, but surely, the walls began to go up, but not before many hours of labor were invested by Willis and a few other men who had volunteered. During the time Willis was cutting trees and milling, the work was also being done on the campground like the concrete being poured for the floor as well as the framework for the square logs.

Eventually, the day came when the owner of the sawmill called to see if the project was finished because he had another use for it. So, the last week before the return of the sawmill, Willis concentrated on getting as many logs cut as possible. He enlisted many volunteers for a big push. One of the men that volunteered that week was Joe Simmons. He asked Willis if it was okay for him to make an adjustment on the clutch. I can tell you that there were more logs milled in that one week than all of the past years’ work combined!

This story has several miracles: the donation of logs; the unusual way in which a sawmill was available; the ability to borrow a large truck to haul the equipment; the volunteer workers, and the man who knew about adjusting the clutch. These were no accidental happenings. God’s hand was at work in all of this; It is amazing how God uses ordinary people in unusual circumstances to show His miracles to others.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.” Ephesians 1:18-19a

For thirty years, I was co-founder of a faith-based ministry. Some of you might ask just exactly what does that mean? It means you believe God directed you to minister to his people one step at a time, trusting Him for resources and direction. I want to explain to you in the only way that I understand it myself. I really only understand the journey as God makes me walk in it. Then I can look back and see His hand guiding me along to see the miracle that took place. I usually get in the middle of a situation screaming; “help me God, I can’t see where I am going.” When I calm down and rest in Him, He is faithful to patiently guide me along with a super natural miracle out of the situation. That applies in my life personally and it applied in the life of that ministry. Sometimes as I move on with the day thinking that I can handle it, and “Thank you Lord for exercising that miracle on my behalf,” then I find I have walked into another experience. I am fast coming to the conclusion that all of these situations are not of my own making. Sometimes, as I have examined them I find that He has directed me into them for the experience of knowing He is Lord or I need to learn more lessons that I can only learn from the experience of being in the situation. That kind of growth may not be just for my benefit, but for the benefit of others who are watching my life unfurl before them as they see an interaction between a living God and myself.

One day a situation came up and I thought of the story found in Mark chapter four. The disciples were in the middle of a lake and a storm came sweeping over them. Jesus had chosen His twelve disciples, had taken them to a place to begin teaching them and that same day put them in a boat to go across the lake because the multitudes were closing in on them. As He slept in the front of the boat, great winds and large waves began to break over the boat filling it with water. The disciples asked Him, “Teacher, don’t you even care that we are about to parish?” He rebuked the wind and told the sea, “Hush, be still.” And then said to them, “Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?” And they became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

The organization had hired someone to assist with the ministry to pastors, but our finances just were not stretching to accommodate the salary need. Where is the fine line between stepping back waiting on the Lord’s provision or was there something that we needed to do in order to let people know there was a need? Should we be swept into thinking that we must write a letter to supporters for assistance or should we ask to speak in churches hoping they would begin supporting the ministry or did we need to close? This along with much prayer, Bible study and discussion with the employee were a part of the conversation of the day. After lengthy prayer in which we expressed to God our trust in Him to sustain us, we asked that His will be in this matter and also asked for encouragement as we waited for His answer.

I went into my office and began looking through the mail that I had earlier picked up at the post office. An envelope in the stack had a familiar return address on it because the person was a monthly contributor. I opened it thinking that it was the regular monthly check and discovered there were two checks. The second check was for $2,300! Needless to say, God’s answer was there and waiting even as we were lifting up to Him our prayer of calm assurance in His ability to provide our needs according to His Will.

My hope is that as you read this story you were able to remember those times in your life that God directed and provided for your needs. This is just a reminder to you of how God wants to be a part of our lives every single day. Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Deuteronomy 23

As I read through this chapter today there were several items that caught my attention. Verse 5: “…but the Lord you God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you.” This was stated to remind the Hebrews of what God had done for them in the wilderness when they had been attacked by the Ammonites and the Moabites.

Another verse that stood out to me today was verse 14: “Since the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you lest He turn away from you.” What an encouragement in this verse.
Their part was to keep the camp holy and not do any indecent thing.
God’s part was to:
walk among the camp,
to deliver the them
and to defeat the enemies before they were attacked.

The next few verses tell about things that are considered cruel, unkind or an abomination to the Lord.
Unkindness to an escaped slave
No sons or daughters of Israel shall become cult prostitutes
No wages from harlots, men or women shall be given toward offerings
Shall not charge interest on money, food or anything loaned to a Israelite or fellow kinsman (this was repeated a second time)
If you make a vow to the Lord, you shall keep it
Again, when a voluntary vow is made to the Lord, keep it
In grapes and grain when you enter a neighbor’s field, you may eat to satisfied, but take none for later.

Then, the encouraging words that I received when I read verse 14, remembering the many verses in the New Testament that bear out this truth: “The Lord your God walks in the midst…”
This verse came to mind in Romans 8:28. “All things work together for the good the those that love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.”

When I read verse 24, about the grapes and grain my mind jumped to the time Jesus and His disciples were walking through a field and plucked an ear of corn to eat. Later He was rebuked by the Pharisees for working on Sunday. But in Deuteronomy according to what God said in chapter 23 it was permissible to take food needed for the time.

Thank you, God, for reminders today of Your great love for us. I feel as though I need to write that in huge letters on every wall around me. I just forget the message too many times. God may I grow closer to you and continue to rely on all of the understanding that You provide for me this day. Oh, the depths of your riches in glory that you bring down to earth even today for me.

Do you ever try to look at the big picture to understand just where God might be taking you? Yes, we all want to see the “handwriting on the wall.” The problem with that is we would dig our heels into the dirt with a stubborn attitude and ask God to give us a different way!

In 1987, a large house in downtown Clinton was donated to a non-profit organization of which I was co-founder, for the purpose of salvaging the lumber. The donor wanted the house torn down and the lot cleared. This turned out to be a very time-consuming project. This large, two-story house was 100 years old and had been a boarding house. Piece by piece, board by board and nail by nail, the house was dismantled and carted to the organization’s campground which was just beginning development. I am very grateful for people like Mr. and Mrs. John Hinkson and Mr. and Mrs. Loy Moody for all of their efforts in helping us get this super-sized job done.

On Thanksgiving weekend, volunteers like John Bradley, Steve Hinkson’s family, and our family, along with several others, began the slow process of building a 2-bedroom house using those salvaged materials. The ladies kept busy pulling nails, stacking the lumber and providing meals. The men began to frame out the house on rock and concrete piers that my son, Kelly and his dad had stacked up the day before.

Several weeks later, we moved out of the tent into the roughed-in house. It was a toss-up as to which was worse, the tent or the house. However, with much effort, the house soon took shape and became more and more livable.

One day as I was sitting down to begin some quiet time with the Lord, my heart was very heavy. A land payment was past due and a small handwritten note left on the window of our vehicle from the landlord had reminded us that he could reclaim the land if the payment had defaulted as much as 30 days. Saving enough from part-time paychecks for the payment was becoming harder and harder. Donations were beginning to come in for the organization, but not enough to make the land payment. Personal items of any value had already been sold to acquire needed equipment or make expenses. Personal money from part-time jobs was going for gas and food. There just did not seem to be a way to pay this debt. Yet, too much had been accomplished to let the land go back. Had the Lord’s direction been misunderstood? I didn’t really think so at this point. Then my eyes focused on my wedding ring. I wondered if there was any way it could be valuable enough to help out.

To my surprise, a jeweler appraised the diamond alone for $1,000. I thought if it could be sold and we could make two payments it would be worth it. I did talk it over with the family but they didn’t really like the idea. I also shared the idea with a volunteer, Mrs. Brown. She called me a few days later with an interest in buying the diamond. I found out that the appraised value for insurance purposes and actually selling it were two different values. So, when the two of us went to another jeweler, his price turned out to be less than half the appraised value. The jeweler suggested that a zircon could be put in my wedding ring for about $20.00 and that way the rings could still be worn

Originally, those rings had been purchased by one of Willis’ brothers for his fiancée. The wedding didn’t take place and he was stuck with the set of rings. Months later, when Willis proposed to me (Halloween, can you believe!) he remembered these rings. He and his brother worked out a deal. That is how we came to have such an expensive set. By today’s standards, it’s not very much but in 1966 it was.

Armed with this information and believing it was God’s will, I approached the family once again. Willis’ comment was, “Well, how do we know but what the Lord gave these rings to us 20 years ago for just such an occasion?”

Why are we surprised when God provides? He not only provided a house to salvage, volunteers to tear it down, and volunteers to help build the camp cabin, but also provided the diamond for a payment. I agree with Abraham. This place should be called Jehovah-Jireh.

“And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh. As it is said to this day, in the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided.” Genesis 22:14

If you have ever camped out, you know how soothing and mesmerizing a campfire can be. But there are many skills one needs to survive in the woods. As a city girl, I had many questions and many skills I needed to acquire:

            How much water is needed to take a shower from a bucket hanging in a tree?

            How do you make a campfire with dry wood or wet?

            How do you cook outdoors in iron pots and skillets?

            What snakes are useful and which ones to kill?

To clarify, my husband and I had started a not-for- profit organization to work with leaders in small membership churches and to provide opportunities for them to gather with other leaders to share ideas that work in the small church setting. Also opportunities for leadership training, fellowship, personal retreats and other camps. We started this work by developing a 68-acre retreat center.

Now this was started with no money and undeveloped land, so you can see why those questions might be crossing my mind. It is sometimes hard to understand God’s directing to uncomfortable situations but the Bible is full of those stories.

Soon enough brush had been cleared on the easement road and a small patch of land which allowed us to move a tiny borrowed camper into the land. By the way, have you ever been asleep and had a furry mouse fall into your face?

 At the end of the very small kitchen cabinet in this very tiny borrowed camper, hung a plastic shoe bag where various kitchen items were stored. It served nicely as a holder for paper sacks and various other items which the limited cabinet space didn’t afford. At the end of this very limited cabinet was also the twin-size bed that we slept on. The sleeping bag was opened and used like a quilt and if you turned over in the night, the quilt was lifted by both parties, then, the turnover and then the quilt rested down again. Otherwise, you would pull the quilt off the other person. Willis would tell people, “the camper was so small that any turnover at night had to be choreographed before going to bed!” Lift and turn!

Anyway, that night, my face was just a few inches from the cabinet. About the time I heard a noise, I felt the furry mouse in my face. I couldn’t jump up and scream because there was a bunk on top that was used as a shelf to keep clothes, etc. In spite of the tightness, I did manage to get out of bed rather quickly. Not having a light to turn on, Willis began searching for the flashlight which he shined around until he found the mouse hovered in a corner on the top of the bench seat apparently as scared as me. Opening the door, he scurried out.

Another story about camper life was the day my daughter, Duchess, moved to the campground. She had been staying with grandparents in Little Rock to finish her Junior year.

Borrowing another camper from cousins in Memphis, which was about as big as the one we had borrowed from Willis’ brother, (bathroom size) we began to prepare for her move to the campground. Since the mouse adventure was still on my mind, we decided to get a couple of kittens. The one was called “Calley” because of her calico coat and the other pure white one we called “Princess.”

Little did Duchess know, coming from the city, what might lurk in the darkness and I certainly didn’t tell her.  I fluffed up the little camper with a new bedspread and some teenage style pillows and the pretty white kitten. However, after saying goodnight, each retired to their own camper. I heard “Mom” two or three times. Maybe she had already encountered things that go bump in the night! When I answered, she just asked if her dad would mind sleeping in her camper and let her sleep with me. I had to laugh out loud as I answered “sure.”

The laughter grew louder as I saw what she was wearing when she appeared in the doorway. She had on a pair of sweatpants, socks and a sweatshirt with a hood up over her head. But the final laugh came when she exposed the socks on her hands. She had covered every inch of her body. You could sure tell she was a city girl!

That changed as she stayed at the campground and encountered life in the wild. Her dad was overheard saying later, “that girl could lay down with the rattlesnakes and it wouldn’t bother her.” I believe it was a compliment to her ability to adapt to the environment and the knowledge that Higher Ground was where God had placed her family.

“I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:12-13

Several months after my husband went to be with the Lord at the age of 51, I wrestled with the decision of what to do about a non-profit organization that we had founded 12 years earlier. Through much prayer, Bible study, great sermons and a burning desire to know God’s will, I made a decision to stay with the ministry working with leaders in small membership churches, keeping the campground going with conferences, camps, and retreats.

That decision came as I pursued an answer from God in my daily walk. I was working a job with an employment agency as I continued to pack up the personal items at the Higher Ground campground on my days off. But I was just not convinced that God wanted the Board of Directors to auction everything off and close down the work.

One Sunday morning, during this time, the pastor preached a sermon on: “Defeating Discouragement from an Overwhelming Task.” Using Joshua 1:1-11 as his text, he began to talk about the overwhelming task that had been placed on Joshua’s shoulders by God after the leader of the nation of Israel, Moses, had died. God had given him the responsibility to lead Israel to conquer the new territory. The original Israelites had died in the 40 years of wilderness wonderings with the exception of Caleb and Joshua. So, Joshua was leading a second-generation nation of untrained, unskilled people that lacked vision for the task at hand. Certainly, if anyone had a right to be discouraged it was Joshua.

The pastor continued his sermon with ways to defeat discouragement. But I was focused on the three points he gave about Joshua because the sermon put into words what I was unable to express about the burden I was feeling. I felt like God was placing a responsibility on my shoulders and the task was beyond my abilities. The Board of Directors at that time did not see a continuation of Small Church Support Ministries beyond Willis’ death.

Another sermon my pastor preached was a message about Samson who was set aside by God to do a task and yet he was not totally surrendered to God’s plan. Therefore, he was sidetracked from accomplishing the task before him.

With these insights mulling around in my head, I now believed God was calling me to continue the work of encouragement to pastors, pastor’s wives and leaders in the small church setting. I was afraid, I lacked courage to act on what I was beginning to understand. Many questions began to flood my mind; “How would I live?”, “How would I support myself?”, “How could I serve without a leader?”’

The next morning with the burden still pressing down hard, I began my morning devotion time. Reading in the book of Hosea, I was having a hard time concentrating on the chapter and in fact read it several times. One particular verse stood out each time:

“As they had their pasture, they became satisfied; and being satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore, they forgot me”. Hosea 13:6

Oh God! I realized I was looking within myself to provide for my needs and the needs of the ministry. I couldn’t figure out how I could work a secular job to provide for myself and take on the responsibility of the ministry too. No wonder I lacked the courage to act on that burden.

With a new perspective, I believe the Holy Spirit brought to my memory the many times I had stepped out in faith, trusting God and how faithful God had been to always provide. I also remembered the scripture in Matthew, chapter 6. I looked it up and read it again.

Matthew 6: 24-34 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Now it was time to commit to the Lord and trust Him for the direction, sustenance, and timing. I made that covenant with God that I heard what He was saying to me and that I would talk to my boss, tell her what I was going to do and ask if she would allow me to work there as I began to get the ministry up and going again.

On the way to work that day, I stopped by the post office to check the box for the organization. There was only one piece of mail in this commercial box and it was addressed to me. It was a note from a lady who had been a counselor with one of the first mission teams to use Higher Ground. It had been at least 10 years since I had heard from her. Her note expressed her sympathy at my loss and then she added an encouraging word. She said she knew enough about me that she knew I would give my adverse situation to the Lord and He would turn it to my good. She also let me know that every one of the youth that had come to camp that year had made life-changing decisions. That wasn’t all, she included a check for $500 made out to me personally.

I have to tell you that I began to cry in the post office as I read the note and saw the check because to me it was an indication from the Lord that I was going the right direction. That indeed He was my provider.

I followed through with the commitment I made to Him by talking to my boss that very morning. She was kind to receive what I said and allowed me to continue working there as I began to find office space and gradually get SCSM up and open again.

I am happy to say the campground and the ministry continued for 28 more years. The organization is dissolved now, but the campground dedicated to serve God’s purpose is continuing as a ministry outreach.

“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

Little did I know going to a women’s Bible Conference would lead to a turn in my journey with God. You know that God’s Word teaches that He has a plan for each of our lives. I had been following God’s leadership for many years and had surmised from some of my times reading the Bible a

Little did I know going to a women’s Bible Conference would lead to a turn in my journey with God. You know that God’s Word teaches that He has a plan for each of our lives. I had been following God’s leadership for many years and had surmised from some of my times reading the Bible and my walk thus far that His way was considerably better than whatever I could plan and think up. This might be an argument for some, but I have settled it for me and His way is better.

Psalms 139, has always been a good scripture to help me understand how much God loves me and has designed me with purpose and meaning. Read a few of these verses.

“Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Thy hand will lead me, and Thy right hand will lay hold of me.” Verses 7-10

After attending a Friday night session, the ladies that I went to the conference with all congregated in one of the rooms for some fun, gab, and prayer. Somehow the conversation turned to talking about sacrificing. I am not sure how we got into that conversation, but one of the ladies looked at me and made the comment that I had sure sacrificed a lot to get the Christian campground known as “Higher Ground Retreat and Conference Center” up and going. These ladies and others from their church had volunteered time at the campground to help with clearing trees and building buildings. They knew the beginnings as my family had lived in an army tent and struggled each day to develop 68 acres of unimproved land.

After the ladies went to bed and as I was falling asleep, I asked the Lord, “Had I really sacrificed all?” The next morning, rising early to spend time in the word, I was walking into this morning session thoroughly bathed in spiritual strength. What I mean by that is my heart was full from my quiet time that morning, I was attending a conference with Christian ladies in a Christian atmosphere to a conference session at Bellevue Baptist Church, and guest speaker was Anne Graham Lotts. I am sure the Lord must have been moving me into a position to receive the message that morning because as the special music had finished and she began reading from the Bible the passage she would be speaking on, I began to cry. The silent tears became uncontrollable to the point I had to get up and go to the restroom. I realized in that moment that God was asking me to give up the dream of opening up another Charlotte’s Web. I had not sacrificed that desire to once again have a shop. Was I crying because the scripture touched my heart personally or the special music had overwhelmed me, or the discussion with the ladies the night before was on my mind, or was it the introspective quiet time? I suspect it was all of the above that God used to bring me to the knowledge that He had something great ahead.

Background on my shop, it was where I spent every day but Sunday sewing and selling items designed and produced by either myself or other ladies in my church. It was a fun place to be and it gave me an opportunity to talk to people about the Lord that normally would not come to the church. When not assisting customers or demonstrating sewing machines, I enjoyed sitting down at the sewing machine sewing and making household items such as quilts, pillows, Priscilla curtains, baby ensembles for nurseries and kitchen items. Customers could watch us make the items. Sometimes, we would custom write their names on a purchased item. There was also a fabric room where materials could be bought for home projects or a place to view fabrics for in-house custom designs at their requests. In addition to that, the store was a distributor for an expensive line of sewing machines. Like I said, it was a fun place to be.

The shop had been located in Arkansas in a town where my husband served as pastor of a Baptist church in Arkansas. We moved when my husband accepted a position as Associate Pastor of a church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Although I still made a lot of items to ship back to the store and had a manager as well as loyal seamstresses, it soon became an impossible situation to manage long distance. There were several reasons why this didn’t work out. With my leaving the community, people were leery of purchasing expensive sewing machines without a convenient opportunity for service. Another reason was the in-home custom decorating was one of the things that I did, which of course, would no longer be available. I had to let it go. I had always hoped the Lord would allow me to have another store one day. I felt I had given up an enjoyable part of my life in order for my husband to fulfill a position in a church that he felt was the right move and place of service. While I agreed with him that it was a place where God would use our family, I still couldn’t help but feel that one day I would have the opportunity to again have a shop.

Like I said this story has many twists and turns. I know you will agree that as you look back on your life, you can see how God has moved you along as you mature in your understanding of Him, and as you become aware of being obedient to all that you understand He is asking of you. So, another step in this story of holding onto the idea of another shop has to do with a step in maturing in God’s plan. Some 15 years earlier than the church in Arkansas, I was a single lady, secretary in a large corporation and poised to move up the ladder. However, I also believed in seeking God’s will at that young adult age and was asking what God wanted me to do.

I can remember sitting at my desk one day, thinking what is it God wants me to do because what I wanted to do was be a fashion designer. I had always enjoyed working with fabric and designing personal items. So, to follow through with that idea, what would be needed to follow that dream? Well, first I realized I would have to move to a larger city perhaps New York to go to a design school and be available for the type position I wanted. However, the more I planned, the more I prayed, the more I realized that that environment for me may not be the environment to continue my Christian walk. But more importantly, was this where God wanted me?

The conclusion after several weeks with that idea in my thoughts and prayers, soon went by the wayside because I came to believe that it wasn’t where God wanted me. But if you fast forward that 15 years and sit with me as I sew in my shop, you would have understood an eye-opening event. I was so happy, I was married to a Christian who was a Baptist preacher, I had a church full of friends I loved, I had a shop I went to every day and created items out of fabric, I was privileged to visit and meet many people to talk to about the Lord. That day it was as though the Lord tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Now how do you like your life?” So, you see, I hadn’t given up anything to do it God’s way, He had ushered me into a direction with more fulfillment and blessings than I could ever have imagined.

So, if we go back to the conference and what God was doing in my heart at that time, you will see that deep in my heart was the desire to have my shop again. But staying in touch with God helped me to realize at that conference that God had a better plan and my secret dream was hindering me from moving ahead with a direction that the Lord knew would be just as much fun but in a different way. You know God has a sense of humor, He is not the big “step on your dreams and make their life miserable” God. He loves each of us beyond our ability to understand apart from the Holy Spirit, and His Word and Jesus.

Yes, I told you this story had twists and turns. That day, in that restroom, at the ladies’ conference at Bellevue was another time in which God asked me to give up an area of my life, but filled with a completely different direction and thought. Now don’t laugh when I tell you I believed God was wanting me to write. I had no formal education for that. Why in the world would that come into my mind? I cannot explain, but what I can tell you is how God has used my obedience for His purposes. I can tell you how fulfilled I feel for having followed Him. I can tell you how peaceful my heart is with God. I can tell you I have spent 40 years serving Him and have never regretted one year. During those 40 years, much study material has been produced for ladies’ retreats, conferences, children’s, camps, youth camps, Bible classes and now this book.

As you read the stories on this blog site, I struggle to put personal life on paper simply because it sounds prideful to me. Yet, it should not be considered prideful because God has taken me in directions and down paths that I never ever would have gone on my own. The book is a conviction of my heart based on this scripture.

“We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, and His strength, and His wondrous works that He hath done. For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; That the generation to come might know, even the children that should be born; Who should arise and tell them to their children that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments.”
Psalms 78:4-7

nd my walk thus far that His way was considerably better than whatever I could plan and think up. This might be an argument for some, but I have settled it for me and His way is better.

Psalms 139, has always been a good scripture to help me understand how much God loves me and has designed me with purpose and meaning. Read a few of these verses.

“Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Thy hand will lead me, and Thy right hand will lay hold of me.” Verses 7-10

After attending a Friday night session, the ladies that I went to the conference with all congregated in one of the rooms for some fun, gab, and prayer. Somehow the conversation turned to talking about sacrificing. I am not sure how we got into that conversation, but one of the ladies looked at me and made the comment that I had sure sacrificed a lot to get the Christian campground known as “Higher Ground Retreat and Conference Center” up and going. These ladies and others from their church had volunteered time at the campground to help with clearing trees and building buildings. They knew the beginnings as my family had lived in an army tent and struggled each day to develop 68 acres of unimproved land.

After the ladies went to bed and as I was falling asleep, I asked the Lord, “Had I really sacrificed all?” The next morning, rising early to spend time in the word, I was walking into this morning session thoroughly bathed in spiritual strength. What I mean by that is my heart was full from my quiet time that morning, I was attending a conference with Christian ladies in a Christian atmosphere to a conference session at Bellevue Baptist Church, and guest speaker was Anne Graham Lotts. I am sure the Lord must have been moving me into a position to receive the message that morning because as the special music had finished and she began reading from the Bible the passage she would be speaking on, I began to cry. The silent tears became uncontrollable to the point I had to get up and go to the restroom. I realized in that moment that God was asking me to give up the dream of opening up another Charlotte’s Web. I had not sacrificed that desire to once again have a shop. Was I crying because the scripture touched my heart personally or the special music had overwhelmed me, or the discussion with the ladies the night before was on my mind, or was it the introspective quiet time? I suspect it was all of the above that God used to bring me to the knowledge that He had something great ahead.

Background on my shop, it was where I spent every day but Sunday sewing and selling items designed and produced by either myself or other ladies in my church. It was a fun place to be and it gave me an opportunity to talk to people about the Lord that normally would not come to the church. When not assisting customers or demonstrating sewing machines, I enjoyed sitting down at the sewing machine sewing and making household items such as quilts, pillows, Priscilla curtains, baby ensembles for nurseries and kitchen items. Customers could watch us make the items. Sometimes, we would custom write their names on a purchased item. There was also a fabric room where materials could be bought for home projects or a place to view fabrics for in-house custom designs at their requests. In addition to that, the store was a distributor for an expensive line of sewing machines. Like I said, it was a fun place to be.

The shop had been located in Arkansas in a town where my husband served as pastor of a Baptist church in Arkansas. We moved when my husband accepted a position as Associate Pastor of a church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Although I still made a lot of items to ship back to the store and had a manager as well as loyal seamstresses, it soon became an impossible situation to manage long distance. There were several reasons why this didn’t work out. With my leaving the community, people were leery of purchasing expensive sewing machines without a convenient opportunity for service. Another reason was the in-home custom decorating was one of the things that I did, which of course, would no longer be available. I had to let it go. I had always hoped the Lord would allow me to have another store one day. I felt I had given up an enjoyable part of my life in order for my husband to fulfill a position in a church that he felt was the right move and place of service. While I agreed with him that it was a place where God would use our family, I still couldn’t help but feel that one day I would have the opportunity to again have a shop.

Like I said this story has many twists and turns. I know you will agree that as you look back on your life, you can see how God has moved you along as you mature in your understanding of Him, and as you become aware of being obedient to all that you understand He is asking of you. So, another step in this story of holding onto the idea of another shop has to do with a step in maturing in God’s plan. Some 15 years earlier than the church in Arkansas, I was a single lady, secretary in a large corporation and poised to move up the ladder. However, I also believed in seeking God’s will at that young adult age and was asking what God wanted me to do.

I can remember sitting at my desk one day, thinking what is it God wants me to do because what I wanted to do was be a fashion designer. I had always enjoyed working with fabric and designing personal items. So, to follow through with that idea, what would be needed to follow that dream? Well, first I realized I would have to move to a larger city perhaps New York to go to a design school and be available for the type position I wanted. However, the more I planned, the more I prayed, the more I realized that that environment for me may not be the environment to continue my Christian walk. But more importantly, was this where God wanted me?

The conclusion after several weeks with that idea in my thoughts and prayers, soon went by the wayside because I came to believe that it wasn’t where God wanted me. But if you fast forward that 15 years and sit with me as I sew in my shop, you would have understood an eye-opening event. I was so happy, I was married to a Christian who was a Baptist preacher, I had a church full of friends I loved, I had a shop I went to every day and created items out of fabric, I was privileged to visit and meet many people to talk to about the Lord. That day it was as though the Lord tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Now how do you like your life?” So, you see, I hadn’t given up anything to do it God’s way, He had ushered me into a direction with more fulfillment and blessings than I could ever have imagined.

So, if we go back to the conference and what God was doing in my heart at that time, you will see that deep in my heart was the desire to have my shop again. But staying in touch with God helped me to realize at that conference that God had a better plan and my secret dream was hindering me from moving ahead with a direction that the Lord knew would be just as much fun but in a different way. You know God has a sense of humor, He is not the big “step on your dreams and make their life miserable” God. He loves each of us beyond our ability to understand apart from the Holy Spirit, and His Word and Jesus.

Yes, I told you this story had twists and turns. That day, in that restroom, at the ladies’ conference at Bellevue was another time in which God asked me to give up an area of my life, but filled with a completely different direction and thought. Now don’t laugh when I tell you I believed God was wanting me to write. I had no formal education for that. Why in the world would that come into my mind? I cannot explain, but what I can tell you is how God has used my obedience for His purposes. I can tell you how fulfilled I feel for having followed Him. I can tell you how peaceful my heart is with God. I can tell you I have spent 40 years serving Him and have never regretted one year. During those 40 years, much study material has been produced for ladies’ retreats, conferences, children’s, camps, youth camps, Bible classes and now this book.

As you read the stories on this blog site, I struggle to put personal life on paper simply because it sounds prideful to me. Yet, it should not be considered prideful because God has taken me in directions and down paths that I never ever would have gone on my own. The book is a conviction of my heart based on this scripture.

“We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, and His strength, and His wondrous works that He hath done. For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; That the generation to come might know, even the children that should be born; Who should arise and tell them to their children that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments.”
Psalms 78:4-7

The framework for a not-for-profit organization brought up questions like where would the money come from, what would be the guidelines and what would be the ministry objectives. At the time, there was a potential source of $30,000. It was a surprise that as we looked over the paperwork needed to apply for a 501(c)3 status, we also learned there was a non-profit resource organization located in Little Rock that could help with filling out the paperwork. This saved hundreds of dollars in attorney fees.
A setback for me was finding out that a Board of Directors would have to be named and that they would have the authority to oversee the direction of the ministry as well as the finances. Ashamed to admit it, I was not willing to relinquish the vision God had given us and the passion for small churches to be governed by a Board. Willis, my husband, soon set me straight. “If it is God’s plan and God’s way of ministering to His people, then He will be in control and not the Board.”
With much prayer and Bible study, God led us along one step at a time. I remember one incident during the first few months that humbled me. It certainly set me on a straight path and adjusted my attitude for the work ahead. At the time, we had just moved back to Arkansas from Knoxville, Tennessee where Willis had been an Associate Pastor. At this time, we were living in a borrowed house, working part-time jobs with no benefits and barely enough money even for food. I became discouraged.
In personal Bible study each day, I usually write down my thoughts about a specific Bible passage. These include expressions of praise and thanksgiving as well as problems and decisions for God’s will. The day in question was one of those frustrating days. It seemed our family was in a holding pattern, as though God had sat us on the shelf. Have you ever been in stall-out time? I was also having a “p.p.p” (private pity party). What came out from my pen onto the paper that day was anger at God. My heart was hurting and I wrote: “God, I have tried to be obedient and serve you faithfully. In fact, so has my whole family. I gave up my business in Arkansas to follow my husband, believing it was Your will, Lord, to serve a church in Tennessee.” The whining continued as I wrote, “I gave up my dreams and plans for another store located in Tennessee because I was afraid it would sidetrack us from the church work.” I went on complaining, “God, I deserve to have a normal home, with a normal salary, health insurance, and benefits.” On and on the list went as I named all of the things that I thought would make my life bearable.
You see, I had owned a gift and interior design shop in Gassville, Arkansas. All of the items in the store were custom designed by the employees or by others and sold on consignment. I loved being in the shop and meeting the people. Also, it was a great witnessing tool for me.
So, when we moved to Knoxville, I began the process to open a shop near Gatlinburg with retreat cabins on the back of the land. The project was consuming my time as well as my husband’s. It was hard to discern whether we were getting sidetracked from the work at the church and so we halted the progress on the store.
Getting back to the prayer journal, may I emphasis these were frustrating times! I know of God’s faithfulness and also know satan’s intentions to turn us away from God’s plans. Thank goodness, God is in control and is in the business of bringing His children along in the journey. God knows our hearts, he created us.
I believe God used this very page in the prayer journal as preparation for a huge step of faith unlike any I had made before. My attitude would have to be adjusted to meet the journey. One day, as I was flipping through the pages of the journal to review what prayers had been answered or what I needed to continue praying for, I saw a note at the bottom of a page. It was not my handwriting. The maturity of the message was not only overwhelming but humiliating. My 18-year-old son had apparently been in my bedroom using the phone and picked up the notebook to use paper. Whatever the reason, God used the incident to make my heart more pliable and ready for the days ahead. The self-centered words I had written on that page cut clear to my heart as I saw them through my son’s eyes. “Mother, these things don’t matter much in the Kingdom of God.”

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other, you cannot serve God and money. For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin. Yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious then, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Matthew 6:25-32 NAS

Many of the stories I write about are not so much to give credit to the individuals that might be in the story, although, credit is due, or to write about my bravery or hardship. It is to show you through these stories how God works in individual lives to move them along the direction where we can accomplish His purposes. I don’t always know why or how I was a part of any given situation; I only know I tried to be obedient to all I understood from the Lord through my Bible readings and prayer time and seeking to know His will.

By late summer of 1986, my husband, my daughter and I were still living in an army surplus tent as we were developing the Higher Ground Retreat and Conference Center. Part of the time in the tent, we did have an electric pole set by the first building site and were using extension cords to be able to use our refrigerator and coffeepot, etc. The water was hauled from the creek or in containers when we went to town. Just giving you a little background.

For appearance sake, it bothered Willis that all the mailboxes, 8 to be exact, by our road were every shape and size on every different kind of post. It was a clutter so he built a large rack at the highway to hold all the individual boxes. For some reason, it was important to him that all of the mailboxes be on a rack and be uniform since they were at the entrance to the camp road.

Who knew that the mailbox project would be the way we met the McAfees. Their dirt road and our dirt road met at the highway. We were each about a ¼ mile in opposite directions. Willis was just finishing up when Mr. McAfee came to get his mail that day and was impressed that someone would take the initiative to fix up the rural neighborhood. He invited Willis and me to come for a visit and also to meet his wife. We had such a wonderful time! We saw their fruit trees and even got a lesson on grafting. Turns out, Mr. McAfee was retired but, he was a horticulturalist and always planting, grafting, studying, experimenting and writing.

During the visit, the struggle to get electricity came up. He volunteered to call the Director of the Electric Coop and to write a reference letter on our behalf. It was very kind, but the Coop insisted that we follow their guidelines which were to have water on the property, a foundation in place and building materials on the site. We had noticed on other area building sites they had temporary lines while they were building. I’m not sure why we weren’t able to get a reprieve. We had water pipes and a water ditch in place but were not connected to the water system yet. Also, we were tearing down a house in Clinton to salvage materials for the camp house and building racks to hold the used lumber. My father-in-law and I also made a foundation with stacked rocks and packed dirt. As it turned out, it wasn’t where we ended up putting the house, but it was not in vain, one of the army tents was placed on it to house all the tools.

Looking back, we should have spent that time putting in the actual foundation for the house. Hindsight! I know there had to be a reason that seemed good at the time. After getting the lumber on racks and the foundation in place, the electric coop did install an electric pole with electricity in the area where the house would be built.

I shall never forget that first winter, though when we were still in the tent. The McAfee’s were spending a week with family in New York for the Christmas season and asked us to house sit. I am still amazed that they saw enough goodness in us to allow us to care for their home while they were away. They stayed an extra week because Mr. McAfee had gotten sick and had to go to the hospital. He recovered quickly.

It was so wonderful for us to spend that brief time in a real house. My son, away at college, came home for the holidays and it was just a great time for our family to be together. Can you imagine what misery we might have been in if we’d stayed in the tent during that time? We would have had to figure out sleeping arrangements, meals, showers, etc. It makes me cringe at the thought. We stayed warm and toasty in the McAfee house. This was just another one of those times when God provided us with sweet relief.

The muddy road was impassable most of the time. Tent life without any comforts became unbearable at times. When I just couldn’t stand one more minute, I would escape to see Mrs. McAfee. She always had a smile and a “now, Charlotte” and a cup of tea. Most of the time, we’d have a little slice of some sort of loaf cake depending on the fruit of the harvest. Since I had no oven this was a real treat! It was just another breath of God’s fresh air.
One day, I was to be the teacher/ guest speaker at an all-day mission conference at First Baptist Church in Clinton, Arkansas. By this time, we had started building the camp house and were living in it. However, it still had no doors or glass in the windows and plastic covered those openings. Since it seemed so cold that morning, I decided to take my hot rollers and make-up bag with me and go early enough to do hair and makeup in the nice, warm restroom at the church.

Because of the deep ruts and mud on our road, as well as a ditch being dug for water line, my husband drove the small truck out to the end of the road for me. That was the plan then I would drive it to town for the meeting. Halfway down the road, we met a man in a very small car who had gotten stuck trying to come up the road to read the electricity meter. What was he thinking? I ended up walking back to the house, in the mud, I might add, while my husband tried to pull him out. The time was slipping by fast. Finally, I walked down to see how the project was going. That vehicle was going nowhere and was still blocking the road. The easement road was only 20’ wide with a ditch on one side of the road and a pile of dirt all the way down the side of it to the main highway and a barbed-wire fence on each side, the only thing we could think of at that late time was for me to walk to the McAfees. Willis went back to the house and called them on the phone. By the time I had walked the muddy half-mile from my house to theirs, Mr. McAfee was in his car headed my way. Tears were rolling down my face by the time we arrived at the church. I got there just as the other ladies did. I slipped off my muddy rubber boots in the car and put on my dress shoes. Mud was on my face, dress, and heart! I wouldn’t miss the irony here. My talk to the ladies’ group was about the hardships of four other missionaries.

The McAfees came to the rescue again during the first big event at Higher Ground. We had set a date and were working on all the details like outdoor bathroom facilities, borrowing a tent from another venue, solving the heating problem for the tent in case the weather changed and also food for evening meals. This event, the Good News Celebration, was to be five nights for preaching and worship service. Each afternoon there was a Bible Study class. An evening meal was served for those attending the Bible Study and actually anyone was welcome. Preparations were being made for the outhouse, the tent was going up, the borrowed chairs were moved to the tent, and heat and electricity were being worked on. Also, my piano was moved into place.

On a really small budget, I planned smoked turkey, fried onions and potatoes, slaw and green beans for the first night. Oh, wait! How was I going to make dessert without an oven? So, I thought maybe a couple of bought sponge cakes, sliced thin might work. But one look at the crowd soon made my heart jump as I realized I just wouldn’t have enough dessert to go around. Just about the time for serving, Mr. McAfee came riding upon a 4-wheeler with a large tray of a variety of fruits from his trees and vineyard. What a wonderful surprise. I think we served 60 people that night and had cooked over an open fire.

I am glad to include the McAfees in this story. God provided relief from the tough times through them. It was no small miracle that their kindness was a Godsend. I have found that in my many years of serving God, His faithfulness comes in most unexpected packages. It is so important that we look for these gifts and thank Him.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed; for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

This story deals with some of the difficulties that were faced as a ministry to small churches began back in 1985. The organization wanted to build a facility that could be used by pastors and leaders in the small church setting for camps and leadership training. The land was acquired, but no funds were available at the time for development. It was interesting to look back and see how the Lord provided in unusual ways to accomplish His plan. I hope you will see what I mean by this story.

While living in the tent, my husband Willis and I, had the opportunity to salvage a 100-year-old boarding house in downtown Clinton. It had to be completely removed, along with all the debris. The city was going to turn it into a park. The idea was to salvage as much of the material as possible so we could build a house at the Higher Ground campground. This was about the same time we were trying to obtain a temporary line for electricity. The Co-op had a policy that they wouldn’t set a meter until there was a foundation and building materials on-site as well as water. So, this house project was timed in just the right setting for all that was taking place to develop the campground.

The old Shannon house, as it was called, had been one of the original hotels in Clinton. It would have been a great place to restore for historical purposes. However, it had been in a flood that reached a height of eight feet. It was, therefore, in the flood plain and couldn’t be used as it was. The city wanted it cleaned up.

John and Mary Hinkson, father and mother-in-law, and Loy and Penzil Moody, neighbors, were so helpful in helping us tear down the building. It was dismantled board by board, brick by brick and stone by stone. The foundation was made of hand-cut limestone rock. The bricks in the chimneys were made in Peru, Arkansas and I am not sure where the boards were milled. A newspaper that had been placed on a wall in an upstairs bedroom was 100 years old, according to the date.

Breaking into a new community is not easy. However, salvaging the house gave us an opportunity to visit with town folks. Eventually, their curiosity got the best of them. People got to see that we were not looking for a handout. We were working, and above all, it gave us an opportunity to let people know about the ministry.

One day, Willis was pulling trim boards off the top edge of a wall and throwing them on the floor. I offered a warning that those nails were sticking up and to be careful when he stepped off the stool. Shortly I heard a crash and it seems, he had lost his balance and fell backward off the stool. Yes, you guessed it he put both hands behind him to catch his fall and his hands landed on top of the trim boards that had two nails sticking up in the exact position as the palms of his hands. He did take note of how interesting it was for a preacher to be marked like that!

Willis used the Jeep to pull down the upstairs and ground-level porches. By this time, he was so ready to move on with the job. He cut the post at the top all the way around the upstairs porch and did the same with the first-floor porch. A big, heavy chain was then placed around the post and attached to the Jeep. He put the Jeep in 4-wheel drive and gunned it. To my surprise, the second-floor porch fell nicely in place on top of the first-floor porch. No wonder Jeeps have earned a reputation for brute strength!

The salvaging continued for several months. We took loads of lumber, bricks, and stones to the campground. Volunteers would pull out all the nails from the salvaged lumber and then place them in racks that had been built to hold them.

The house, built from these salvaged materials, had a hearth for a wood-burning stove made from the old chimney bricks, the wainscoting in the kitchen and living room were from the underside floor of the porches, and the house foundation boards, the floor, and the roof decking were made out of the mainboards. What a hard way to build a house! The hours invested in the salvage of the house, if a value was placed on them, would probably average out to about $150,000. But God did not provide the money for building a house; he provided an unusable house for a usable house.

Sometimes, when these stories are told, the question is asked, “If God could provide an old house to be salvaged, why didn’t He just provide the money?” Through the 30 years, I spent at the camp and in ministry, that question has been asked over and over. It just didn’t make sense to people that we were proceeding with this mission endeavor with no funds. Our answer was always the same. “We do not have the bigger picture or the answer to that question. We only know to be submissive to all that we understand God is calling us to do.” Therefore, we did not know the plans God had for the involvement of others; for the testimony that glorified Him; for the lives that were touched as a result of one person’s obedience; the people who would make a decision to take Christ as Lord and Savior or our own spiritual growth and relationship with HIM.”

“All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives. Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established, the Lord has made everything for its own purpose.” Proverbs 16:2-4

“When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice. The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16: 7-9