"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."  James 1:12

Just a shout out to those going through trials.  There is so much in this life to battle! Sickness, pain, relationship struggles, stress, weariness, exhaustion, fear, heartache, busy-ness, financial challenge, job demands, disasters....any of us could add to the list!

From all I read in God's word, this life did not come with a guarantee that there would not be challenges.  In fact, this is the very place where we will encounter various trials and difficulties.

The earth is not our ultimate home.  We are passing through - en route, if you will, to our heavenly home.  It is a place where there is a real enemy, swinging his fists as he gets closer and closer to his final destruction.  His missiles are aimed at us.  We have a mission here.  To endure to the end.  To be warriors and aliens in a foreign land.  

There is good news, even though walking through the shadows are no fun.

Here are the promises; and they by far outweigh the struggles!

1.   We have a great God who is on our side!

2.   He has given us a Savior who will indeed rescue and redeem each who choose His love and grace.

3.   There are promises for all who call upon His name and embrace Him!  They can be applied even in this life!

4.   He offers His rod and staff and His personal presence through every trial and every circumstance.

5.   He has seen to it that we have a guide book, full of amazing stories of His "footprints" in the earth.  

6.   He often allows miracles - even beyond the miracle of life and His redemption plan itself!  

7.   The promise of His never-ending LOVE is ours when we choose Him.

8.   The promise of His FAITHFULNESS is ours when we choose Him.

9.   The promise of His GRACE and MERCY is ours when we choose Him.

10.  The promise of ETERNITY is ours when we choose Him!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that won ever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16

I was thinking about growing older today.  Yeah, not always my favorite subject!  However, I can't help but enjoy this season of life.  Yes, bodies wear and tear after five decades of raising children, working, keeping a house running and dealing with the stresses of daily living.  We usually find at this stage, that some of our dreams might not have come to fruition, and the decision to invest in something a bit more expensive or unique is a temptation.  Some call it "mid-life crisis"!  Others make bucket lists that include a once-in-a-life-time vacation or addition to their home.  Some want to buy a motorcycle and cruise the country.

Me?  I guess I want to see more beautiful things to photograph and blog about!  :)  So...a vacation would be great, but I can't think of a much more beautiful place than Missouri!  I enjoy sitting outside, shooting the breeze with family and friends, watching my grand baby or just pulling a platter of pork steaks off the grill while familiar voices are chuckling and exchanging stories that bring warm smiles.   

Yeah, I don't move quite as fluidly as I once did.  My house-keeping skills are a bit tarnished, perhaps, and bungee jumping doesn't seem to interest me these days.  But the things that matter - people and eternal investment - they have become all the more valuable and real!  Maybe that's just the way it is supposed to be? 

Mining was the way to make a living in Potosi - a long time ago!  There are some amazing photos still around town...Love them all!  These were hard-working people, many families living on "bone stew" for days!  It was not necessarily a way to make a primo income, but there was hope and there was always a fiddle to warm up in the evening when the vittles and foot-stomping began!  

Stay tuned for the book, "That's Where I'm From", my story of growing up in Potosi, MO.  Lots of history, lots of stories, lots of humor!  :)  Coming soon!

Asa My brother Eddie & his son, Joseph

I'd like to try and re-tell a story I heard this week.  It is both inspiring and symbolic, pointing to a truth I consider very important.  

The story begins when a little boy's happy family is devastated by his father's sudden death.  The mother and siblings are swollen with grief as well and not sure how they will survive without this dear man who they all loved.  They are thankful for the home where they lived as it had been a recent addition to their lives because of the father's hard work and planning for his family.  

The young boy became aware that it took a lot of work to afford the comfortable things they enjoyed.  His sisters had loved decorating their room with flowery curtains and their favorite posters and pillows!  His mother had placed the furniture beautifully, adding rugs, framed pictures of the family and a lovely flowered center piece on their dining room table.  He began to be concerned that they might lose those things and all the reminders of what his father had worked for.

So he decided he would mow grass and inquire about what he could do to help the neighbors and earn extra money to assure his family that the house would always be theirs.  The next day he was able to land a little job after asking the lady next door if he might help her.  She agreed to give him the job of weeding her flower garden and he happily skipped home with a pocket full of change!  Another couple of days went by and he found another neighbor who gave him a job sweeping the porch and sidewalks around their house.  Once again he tucked a few coins into a piggy bank on his dresser.  He was delighted when the weekend brought him yet another bigger job mowing a small yard on their block.  

One evening he asked his mother how much it would cost to buy their house.  He opened the bottom of his piggy bank and his mother began to explain that the amount would be much more than he had.  He realized his plan was not going to work.  With tears in his eyes, he explained to his mother that he didn't think his efforts could ever assure the purchase of their house.  It suddenly became clear to her what he had been working for and her heart melted.  She pulled him close and with a long hug began to assure him he didn't have to worry.  The house had already been paid for in full!  His father had seen to that ahead of time!  There was not one thing the little boy needed to do that had not already been done - except to receive it all with gratitude.

I did not tell the story word for word.  It was told to me in much more detail than I can remember here.  But the point is that this little boy was relieved to hear the truth when he recognized that his own efforts were not enough.  My point in sharing this is that our efforts could never be enough to earn eternity, no matter how perfectly we live our lives!  Our humanity will never be good enough to be perfect.  It took a Father with a plan and a great sacrifice of Himself to "pay" the debt that would be ours.  He knew that ahead of time and planned for redemption accordingly through His only begotten Son, Jesus.  Jesus paid the entirety of the debt.  His death bought our forgiveness and our lives.  We can choose to move away from all He has purchased for us and try to earn our own way, but we can never earn what He has already bought.  The reason is because Jesus was the representative of His Father and paid a price that only HE could pay!!  None of us are God.  We are simply His beloved children and He has always desired to offer us eternal security if we will but accept His offering!

In the story the little boy's mother scooped him close and told her son that it was ok!  He did not have to pay that great debt!  Our Father in heaven is also wanting to draw us close and tell us that the debt is paid!  Accept what He so lovingly wants you to have.  Reach out and take what your Father is offering.  It does cost our commitment and dedication.  But none loves you as does He - and what He offers is eternal!  It is secure!  It is forever!  How can we refuse?

Asa & Abi

Asa & Scott

Asa To all my hard-working, busy friends out there.  May you carve out a little time today.  It doesn't have to be much.  It can be daylight or dark.  It can be at home, at your office, in the back yard, or in your easy chair.  It can be during a coffee break, when you are going to lunch or when you drop into bed after life has demanded more than you had anticipated. 

Find wonder.  

Laugh out loud.  

Be curious.

Say thank you. 

Discover something new.  

Run for a goal.

Enjoy the now moment.  

Take your shoes off.  

Curl up in a blanket. 

Eat chocolate.

Randomly hug a loved one.  

Notice tiny things.  

Be entertained by something colorful or shiny.

Don't worry about your hair.  

Chatter because it sounds funny.  

Sing for no particular audience.  

Hold something and study it more closely.

Believe in the impossible. 

Not question that God is the reason for all good things.

Go as far as your "leash" will allow!

Tonight I am reminding myself of some important things, namely to evaluate everything I do and ask the question:  Does it give ultimate glory to Giver of all good things?  The answer should, of course be a resounding "yes" - in our actions, our words, our thoughts and our motives.  Long ago I chose Jesus Christ to be my highest role model, example and Lord.  The Bible tells us to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling that He has placed upon our lives."  I believe that means that each of us have a responsibility to do our best with the gifts, talents and lives He gave to us.  I enjoy many things and feel He has given me a number of interests that I can use to glorify Him.  In these blogs, those things include writing and photography.

I am delighted that He has brought me through a season of writing about my past and the town in which that was lived out.  It has been busy work to write and coordinate all the necessary items that make those things come together.  It is time consuming and involves getting input, information - and even advertising.

I post many of these photos and blogs because I like to share all I have learned with any who are interested.  I also post in humble and honest hopes that many will want to purchase this up-coming book!  However, the main reason I do all this is because I want to share something much greater than history; much greater than photos, much greater than my thoughts or life happenings.  

The most important thing in the world to me is the fact that there is much more to life than what we see in the here and now!  Life is endless because life is about God!  Life will go on with or without us.  He gives us breath and allows us to be a part of it.   We can choose to honor Him and accept the free gifts He offers, which includes the incredible price that was paid for us through His Son on a cross.  Or...we can make our own rules, choose to live for ourselves and hope for the best at the end of this allotted life time.

I am entirely convinced that God is real: that His love and designs are beyond comprehension; that Jesus is most definitely His Son and lived and died to take the place of our sin; that the Holy Spirit is the presence and power of God living inside our hearts when we allow Him residence; and that the Bible is His inspired instruction manual for us to find hope, truth, guidance and power.  I believe this life as we experience it is truly about the next one - it is about accepting, believing, sharing and obeying.  This life points to an eternity that every single person has opportunity to participate in, provided you accept the price paid through Jesus.

I pray that my ramblings, writings, postings, bloggings and meanderings would make God smile.  I also pray that they would encourage you to a deeper, richer, uncompromising relationship with the same God who I have discovered is big enough to provide for my every need.  He can also provide for yours, but you - and I - must give Him our heart to work with.  Lord, give every reader a desire for YOUR light and life!  May they experience the longing for tunnel vision for YOU in their life happenings and daily journey.  May YOU be glorified in all that fills these pages and in the pages of every writing I ever do.  It is for YOU alone that we live and breathe.  It is YOU who began the good work of creation, and it is YOU who will complete it to the end. 

More school mania!  I love this old photo of what is now the "Administration Building" on North Mine Street in Potosi.  It was built in 1891 and was the school for students in Potosi.  It had no graduating classes until 1911!  In that year there were nine graduates and in 1912 there were two, Dr. Creswell and Dr. Thurmond!   More history in the upcoming Potosi book!  Keep watching for it!!  :)

What person growing up in Potosi has not graced these halls?  In its early days  it was Potosi High School and it later became John A Evans Middle School.

How many memories flood these halls and walls?!  Teen-age adrenaline, laughter, broken hearts, discoveries, aha moments, career choices, encouragements, disappointments, lost and found love, relationship lessons, decisions, excitement and anticipation!  They all happen under this roof!

I just have to say thank you to all those teachers who juggle the ups and downs of pre-adulthood with open arms and consistent patience! I have personally known a few who were part of the gold thread of stability for me through those years!  The job is not for the faint-hearted or weak for sure!

Potosi has not lacked a great reputation for having solid schools and offering much to the young lives walking through them.  I am proud of that tradition and am a living testimony of the generally hearty education and support system offered in the school system of this little town.