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For Wilshire Baptist Church

There’s a name missing from Wilshire’s Care Notes beginning today: Cooper Wade Hampton, our nephew. I had his name added to the Military Service section of the notes many years ago after he went to U.S. Marine Corps boot camp, but I’ve retired his name as he’s retired from the service after 20 years.

I get Care Notes by email every Monday through Friday and it helps me focus on those in our Wilshire community who need our prayers. Scanning the categories every day — Area Hospitals, Rehabilitation, Hospice, Others in Need of Prayer, Friends and Family Concerns, Condolences, Congratulations, Military Service — I watch for newcomers to the lists and updates on those who have been there. Mostly it serves as a prayer guide, but it’s also a sort of snapshot of the ebb and flow of life in our community — our joys and sorrows, comings and goings, transitions.

Continue reading “Guide for Prayer”

For Wilshire Baptist Church

My mother texted me on Monday with a curious question: “While many use an app on their cell phone to read or follow along in SS or even worship, most also have a ‘real’ Bible. What translation is your real Bible, is it a study Bible, is it tabbed, is it leather, and what color is it?”

That left we wondering: Was she shopping for a Bible? Gathering data for a survey at her church about people and their Bibles? I was able to answer her question quickly, and I learned later she was buying a Bible for her oldest grandson – my oldest nephew – for his birthday. That got me thinking about the Bible in general and my Bible specifically. 

Continue reading “Dusting Off My Bible”

For Wilshire Baptist Church

My standard, born-with senses — “factory-installed” if you wish — have changed quite a bit in recent years. It happens with age and with accidents and the rough-and-tumble nature of human life. And the longer you live, the more rough-and-tumble events you endure, so it makes sense (pun intended) that our senses get beat up. Still, I find myself wishing for some of the sensory magic I used to enjoy but took for granted.

Continue reading “Making Sense of Our Senses”