Do you know Who I know?

In several of my posts I've mentioned my faith in Jesus.  Today as I was grieving with and for my family it occurred to me that I've spoken of my peace and hope, but I've never shared with my readers how to obtain it.

First of all, there's no trick or rain dance you have to do.  Nothing more is required of you than sincere words from a sincere and contrite heart.  Asking Jesus to be your Savior is so simple a child can do it.  (Matthew 19:14)  In fact, I'll share with you my story of coming to Jesus.

At the age of six I began asking my mother questions about asking Jesus into my heart.  I had the privilege of being raised in church.  I also have a mother who talked with me and answered my questions about death and Heaven.  She taught me that the only way to get to Heaven is by asking Jesus to come into my heart.  January 10, 1991, I was eating supper with my family.  At the table I decided I was ready to ask Jesus to be my Savior.  My mother asked me to wait until after supper, and I told her, "No, Mama.  I want to do it NOW."  And sitting at our table, with Jessica in a high chair, my mother led me in prayer.  Yes, it was a simple prayer, but it was oh so sincere.  I knew that I was a sinner and that I needed (and still need) a Savior.  Lucky for me (and you) God sent His Son to die for our sins .  I was baptized January 13, 1991, at South Thompson Baptist Church just outside Vidalia, Georgia.

That said, baptism is not required to be a Christian.  (In Greek "Christian" means "little Christ."  Christians are followers of Christ.)  It is a public showing of our faith and trust in Jesus as our Savior.

Now, the meat and potatoes of it:

Are you a sinner?  Do you do things you know are wrong?  Do you feel guilty?  The answer to all these questions should be "yes."

Do you need a Savior?  Do you want to avoid spending eternity apart from God?  Again, the answer to these questions should be "yes."

If you want a promise and a hope unlike any any human can give you, if you want to be in Heaven after you pass away please say these simple words, either aloud or in your heart  (God knows):

Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner.  I know I need You.  Please forgive me for my sins and come into my heart.  Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross, for sacrificing Your life, to save mine.  Thank You for Your promise of eternal life with You and Your Father in Heaven.  Amen.

See?  It's very simple.  Let me give you this warning:  Becoming a Christian doesn't make you perfect.  You will still sin and you will fail.  But you can go to Jesus and ask him to forgive you each and every time.  He won't turn you away.  Jesus forgives us an unlimited amount of times.  However, when He lives in our hearts we strive to live for Him.  It's really not that hard.

While when you confess your sins and ask Jesus to be for Savior takes affect immediately, the change is not necessarily instantaneous.  Even though I have been a Christian over half my life I still have sins with which I struggle.  You'll find that when you spend time reading the Bible and in prayer life will be more peaceful.  We are not guaranteed lack of trials or pain.  We are, however, guaranteed comfort from the Comforter.

If you'd like Biblical references in regards to the things I've told you, let me know.  I'll lead you down the Roman road.

Please let me know if you come to know Jesus as Your Savior.  I will be able to pray for and with you.  And will I ever rejoice at the expansion of the Kingdom!!

Pain

Pain comes in multiple forms.  We have physical pain (hitting your thumb with a hammer).  We have emotional pain (a relationship problem or loss of a loved one).  Sometimes the two are combined (being sick and knowing your family will suffer from it... e.g. cancer).


With pain often comes exhaustion.  With just simple physical pain rest often makes it go away.  With emotional pain there are fewer choices for healing.  We have time.  We have pills (to dull the pain or to help us deal with it).  And we have Jesus.


Sadly, not all of us know Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  In dealing with our losses (Jon's and mine, not losses in a generic sense) I have struggled.  I have dealt with what I see as injustice.  Why are there women who can have babies for any man who rings their door bells while I can't give my husband, the man I waited 24 years for, just one?  God hears this from me frequently.  I am a stubborn woman.  I was a stubborn child.  This isn't a new thing.  However, God frequently reminds me that He has a plan, and His plan is perfect.  I don't know what His plan is, but I know that I need to be in tune to it.  Daddy taught me to listen more than talk.  Now I'm praying that God will open my heart to hear Him when He speaks, and to speak the things to others as He gives me the words.


Our family has endured yet another tragedy, and we have yet another little one in Heaven.  I am so thankful that his mama and daddy know Jesus, and that they will be with their baby in Heaven.  Again, I am asking "why?".  This little one's mama is clinging to John 13:7.


“What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”


Isn't that amazing?  So profound for one in such pain.  I grieve with the two who have lost.  I don't know how they're feeling (I touched on that in a previous post), but I hurt with them.  I grew up with one parent, and have come to love the other dearly in the past few years.  There are no words to say beyond, "I love you and I'm here."  


God is showing me my ministry--to those who have lost as I have.  I pray for wisdom and guidance from Him.  I pray that I don't pull a Jonah and run the other way!  But most of all I pray that I am a comfort to those I've been called to minister to.  


Please pray with me now:


Father God, thank You for Your mercy.  Thank You for the time, albeit short, that we had with our babies.  You know the hearts of the mothers and fathers who have had babies go to Heaven before they were able to chose You.  You know our pain, but you are our Comfort.  We don't know why things happened the way they did, but we trust You to make us stronger.  Help us to live for You, and to keep our faith even though we may feel abandoned.  We know that one day we will be with You, and Your Son, and with our babies.  When the time is right, help us to help others in pain.  Please, Father, hold us.  Let us feel Your Spirit upon us so that we are comforted.  Don't let us forget that You love us, and that you will never harm us.  Thank You for your Word full of promises.  Most of all, thank You for sending Your Son to die for us so that we will spend eternity with you and our babies who are already with you.  In Your Son's Holy Name I pray, Amen.

Words

Warning:  This post is a bit graphic in nature.  It is definitely contraversial.  However, to God be the glory!

Words bring joy.  ("The test was positive!")  Words bring pain.  ("I'm sorry, but I can't find the heart beat.")  Words are irreversible, even if one's heart or mind is changed. 

Words, I believe, are directly linked to our thoughts and feelings.  While we do have much control over our words there are still times when they get the better of us.

I am a fortunate woman.  Growing up my parents taught us to be careful with our words; they can't be taken back.  I am not always careful with my words, but often I try to be.  I don't want to hurt anyone.  Over the last eight months I've tried to be more encouraging to others than ever before.  I've learned how words can change the (my) world.

When we lost Ellie there were so many people who said, "I know how you feel.  I lost a baby, too."  I don't mean to be rude, but no, they didn't know how I felt.  I didn't even know how I felt.  I don't know how one person can tell another that.  Jon and I lost the same child, but I guarantee you we didn't feel the same things. 

Over the past week I've had opportunities to let words beat me up.  And honestly, they did.  If you've read my earlier posts you know how important life is to me.  I believe that life begins when an egg and sperm come together (conception).  My Bible tells me that God knew me before He knit me together in my mother's womb.  That means He also knew our Ellie and Poppy.  If God recognizes the unborn as lives I have no reason not to.

That said, the state of Virginia recently passed a law requiring women who want abortions to have ultrasounds done prior to the procedure.  (I believe this is a wonderful step in the right direction.)  Babies are too small to see inside the womb before 12 weeks.  Because of this, transvaginal ultrasounds are used.  Most abortions are performed before 12 weeks.  That means these government mandated ultrasounds are transvaginal.  People who are upset about this law are calling this "government forced rape."  I had a friend on Facebook who posted this.  I had to (mostly respectfully) disagree with him, as I have experienced them.  Don't get me wrong; I don't think I'll have them just for fun on days the library is closed, but it's far from rape.  Another poster replied that they are more like an unwanted gynocological exam.  I have to agree with her.  After some debate, someone called our children (and all unborn children) "clumps of cells."  At that point Jon advised me "not to argue with idiots."  He said I'd just get more upset.  And he was right.

Two nights later Jon found me in bed squalling for all I am worth and them some.  He had no idea what was wrong, but thought he'd done something.  I managed to tell him that those words were still hurting.  I know it had to hurt him, too.  I just could not (and still can't) believe how cruel people are with their words.  Because he let such horrid (in my opinion) things go on on his FB wall, I had to unfriend this person.  I've known him for years, but that no longer matters.  My counselor told me to delete people who hurt me.  It's Facebook.  This was the first time I've followed her advice.  (There are other instances of when it should have been done, but this was the first time I actually had the nerve to do it.)

I know we live in a democracy, and abortion has been legal my entire lifetime, but it is still a very hot topic.  I wonder how many people who support it have experienced miscarriages.  I wonder how many who have had abortions regret having them.  I know that had Ellie been born our lives would be drastically different now.  I know that had we not lost Poppy I'd be about halfway through the pregnancy now and Jon most likely wouldn't have been able to change jobs.  That doesn't mean I don't love them and miss them every day.  It does, however, make me want to NOT extend grace (Ellie's middle name) to those who view the unborn different than I.

And then Jesus reminds me that He died for Conservatives AND Liberals.  He died for all of us, not just those of us who follow (or attempt to, anyway) Him.  Jesus has extended the same offer of grace to the person who believes Ellie and Poppy were nothing more than "clumps of cells" that He did to me.  As His follower, as a child of God, it is MY responsiblity not to tell these people that not that they are going to hell for their beliefs, but to show them the way to Heaven through mine.

Think about what you say before you say it.  It could make or break your witness.

Grandma Jones

Everybody ought to have a Grandma Jones.  I went to see mine this afternoon.  My Grandma Jones is 87 years old.  She has really seen a lot in her lifetime.  She raised nine children.  She buried her husband, one child, and a great-grandbaby.  She has led a full, productive life.  And I've never known her to lose her temper.  I remember sitting on her lap as a child and her reading me stories.  My very favorite was this huge book about the gingerbread man.  When I spent the night with her she'd tell me bedtime stories.  Her version of The Three Little Pigs is the best one I've ever heard.  And in the summertime we didn't sleep at the head of the bed.  We slept at the foot... 'cause that's where we could feel the ceiling fan best.

Grandma has 22 grandchildren.  She has only spanked one of us.  It was not me.  (I'm sure there were times I needed it, though.)  While she was taking care of this particular cousin and his sisters and brother (their parents were in Seattle; their mother was battling leukemia and having treatments out west) said cousin absolutely refused to do his homework.  I wish y'all could hear Grandma say, "And he WOULD NOT do his homework!"  I don't know that she means to be funny when recounting this story, but it is hysterical to me.  I remember Grandma having a pillow with a stick (almost like a paint stirrer) attached with "Grandma's Paddle" embroidered on it.  However, I don't think that's the one she used on my homework hating cousin.  All in all, though, she's pretty laid back.

When we were children four of my cousins who lived far away would always come to visit during summer for two weeks.  About four others of us would spend the days with Grandma enjoying our cousins' visits.  One of the best parts of those two weeks was us taking turns picking out that day's flavor Kool Aid.  Orange is still my favorite.  One of my least favorite times was one particular cousin telling me to touch the electric fence we kept the hogs in (he did this frequently).  Daddy told me not to touch it, so I knew it was in my best interest to leave it alone... for multiple reasons.

Have you ever seen your grandmother run?  I have.  One time.  It was in 1990.  I remember this specific event because it was the night my sister cut her finger off.  (Don't worry, it was sewn back on.)  We lived next door to Grandma.  The running event started this way:  Mama was in the kitchen fixing supper.  Jessica, about nine months old, was playing with a green bean can.  All we can figure is the can mashed her finger off.  Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Daddy was overseeing my bath.  I wasn't supposed have the water past my belly button.  I don't remember for sure, but I reckon Mama hollered and Daddy left me to drown.  I didn't know what was going on, but I sure wasn't going to let the opportunity pass to have deeper-than-I-was-supposed-to bath water.  And that's when Grandma came running in the bathroom. Apparently Mama and Daddy called her to come watch me while they rushed Jessica and her barely hanging on finger to the emergency room.  I will never forget the panic of her disposition as she hurriedly turned off the water.  Me?  I was just as calm as I could be.  Now we joke that that was the night Mama tried to chop Jessica's fingers off and Daddy tried to drown me.  Didn't work.

I've always loved being told stories.  One of my favorite about my family is Grandma talking about Great-Grandmama Jones wanting a milk cow.  Great-Grandmama had gotten on up in age, and she and Great-Grandaddy built a house next to Grandma and Grandaddy.  (My Grandaddy Jones, F.W., was their oldest child.  I didn't know him.  He passed away when Daddy was in college.)  Anyhow, my laid back Grandma put her foot down about that milk cow.  She said something along the lines of, "Oh, no.  Not more work for Vera."  (Vera is Grandma's first name.  It's of Russian origin and means "faithful."  I think that's a very appropriate name for her.)  I really wish y'all could hear my Grandma talk.  She's so serious, but like my daddy, that just makes it all the funnier.

And then there's the story of why the Joneses buy chickens from the grocery store rather than raising them on the farm.  Grandma had a chicken coop.  Grandaddy had dogs.  Grandaddy's dogs got after Grandma's chickens, and that didn't sit too well with Grandma.  My demure, laid back Grandma said, "F.W., we can either have your dogs or the chickens."  Grandaddy chose his dogs.  Grandma had a neighbor lady, Miss Ceely, come help her dress all the chickens and put them in the freezer.  And from that point on, "Vera bought her chickens in town."

Oh, I wish everybody knew their grandparents!  I enjoy hearing the three I know tell me about when they were young.  I value their opinions and advice as an adult.  Grandparents are priceless.

The best thing about my grandparents, though, is that I know that my grandparents will be with me (and my babies) in Heaven.  Not only do I have them on Earth, I'll also get to spend eternity with them!

This picture was taken at Providence Baptist Church, Mothers Day 2004.  It's three generations and absolutely priceless.

Life

This past year I've experienced a lot.  Job changes and moves... Highs and lows...  Honestly, through it all I've been thoroughly shaken.  There is one thing I know for certain, though.  

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) 


The move to Georgia was a good thing.  I was glad to be closer to my parents, siblings, and grandparents geographically.  Jon and I found a town home an hour and a half from Lyons.  Home is where one's mama is, and my mama is in Lyons.

In amongst the good things we've also had devastation.  Reading my post from almost a year ago led me to write this one.

Governor Nathan Deal, last year at Ag Day at the Depot, pointed out that on the farm we learn to value life.  As a child I experienced piglets, kids (of the goat variety), and my very own sister and brother.  I remember how excited I was when Mama was expecting Jessica and John.  I often remind Jessica that I loved her before even Mama and Daddy did.  I remember hugging our baby (John) when Mama was expecting him.  I was going to be a big sister again!  Really, I have loved them both longer than they've been drawing breaths of oxygen.

(My parents planned on me being an only child.  They lost a baby between Jessica and me, but I didn't know it until years later.  When I told my mother I wanted a little sister she told me to pray for one.  I did.  Two weeks later we found out we were going to have a baby!  And to top that off, the baby was due around my birthday!  So I started praying for my little sister to be born on my birthday.  Jessica was born at a time when ultrasounds were only done when the doctor thought there could be a problem.  We didn't know she was a girl--for sure-- until the day she was born... my fifth birthday.  I think if she'd have been a brother we'd have had to have traded her.)

I remember a sermon being preached on abortion. (It was probably Sanctity of Life Sunday.)  I was little, although I don't remember my exact age at the time.  I didn't know what the word meant, so after church I asked my mother, and as tactfully as one can explain something like that, she told me.  I was appalled!  I knew how much I loved Jessica and John BEFORE THEY WERE BORN.  I couldn't imagine someone choosing to take the life of someone who hadn't had a chance at all!

After the last eight months I've become even more passionate about life.  Jon, my husband, and I saw the most magnificent thing we've ever seen last May.  We saw our child!  We saw the baby's heart beat, and it looked like a lightning bug.  I can't tell you how amazing it was!  I was six weeks pregnant and we saw the OBGYN for a confirmation of pregnancy.  The baby looked like a blob, but it was a beautiful blob.

If you're a mother you may have felt that your child was either a girl or a boy early in your pregnancy.  I really believe our first baby was a girl.  We chose the name Elizabeth Grace for her.  We decided to call her Ellie.  (Elizabeth was Jon's grandmother's middle name.  Grace is something none of us could live without.)  Two weeks later our hopes and dreams for the family we were becoming were shattered.  The ultrasound tech couldn't find Ellie's heart beat.  I had a D and C four days later. 

We decided that we would try again.  After all, 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage.  November 7, 2011, there was a faint second line on the pregnancy test.  Jon saw it before I did.  Again, we were overjoyed, but scared to death.  We decided to keep it a secret until I was through the first trimester.  Then the problems started.  Two days after the positive I knew something was wrong.  I called my doctor and was told not to call back unless my problems were much more severe.  (I then changed to a more caring practice.)  By Thanksgiving it was all over... again.  I call our second baby, whom we never saw but loved very much, Poppy.  He was the size of a poppy seed when he went to Heaven.

In Heaven I have so many loved ones.  My great-grandparents are there.  I have a sister or brother there.  I often think of my Mammy (who passed away in 2005), my Aunt Jenny (who passed away in 1985; I don't remember her, but I know I would have loved her), and my grandfather's second wife Ruby (who passed away in 2009, five months after Jon and I were married) loving on my babies. I also think of Jon's grandmother, the one for whom Ellie was named, loving on them.  I didn't know Mrs. Conrad; she passed away shortly after Jon's parents were married.  I do know, however, that her faith was very dear to her.  I trust her son, my father-in-law, when he says without a doubt that she is in Heaven.  That makes one more person to hold and cuddle Ellie and Poppy until I can get to Heaven to do it myself.


All that said, I can't believe some people purposefully take their children's lives.  I miss Ellie and Poppy every day.  I long for the day I'm with them (and Jesus) in Heaven.


Now I have a chance to share my story.  It's a story of loss, pain, hope, and healing.  I still have a long way to go, but I hope and pray that my story of our little ones in Heaven will help further the Kingdom.

Ag Day at the Depot 2011

Let me begin by posing a question to you: What does agriculture mean to YOU?

Today my father, Johnny Jones, and I traveled from Lyons to Atlanta. The purpose was to be a part of Ag Awareness. We heard Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and Governor Nathan Deal speak. I met Mr. Black and several others, including the current FFA state president, Spencer Highsmith. He is a pleasant young man from Coffee County. I was also reacquainted with friends I've not seen in quite some time. Many I hadn't seen since I've been married.

I was able to have short visits with Terry England, Chip Bridges, Ben Lastly, and Blane Marable. All these people I met through the FFA Alumni. I was also able to chat with Sonny Turner (Walton County EMC). He was really a mentor to Daddy when he first became active in the Alumni. I don't mean to name drop, but Mr. Terry is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee in Georgia. Chip and Ben are high up on the FFA food chain, and Blane (who is retiring soon) was instrumental in our forming an Alumni chapter in Toombs County. Mr. Terry gave me a big ol' bear hug when he saw me. Chip also hugged me. We're like a big family. It doesn't matter where we go (Maryland) or what we do (stay gone for two years). We welcome each other eagerly and with open arms.

I learned something today of great value. Georgia is one of the few states with a double-sided seal. The side that we see most often (the only side I've ever seen) is actually the backside. Yes, we all know Wisdom, Justice, Moderation. (I could totally go off on a tangent with "moderation" but I won't.) The frontside of the coin represents Georgia's biggest business, if you will. It is agriculture. It's what our state is based on. It's our industry. Think about it. I can't begin to name all the farmers I know. And even though I'm from Toombs County where the Vidalia sweet onion was first grown, not all my farmer friends grow onions. And did you know that Georgia was also the first state to form a department of agriculture?

Governor Deal spoke about his own experience with agriculture. He encouraged us to think about our first experiences as well. I remember when I was a little girl, before Jessica and John were born, us having hogs. One morning Daddy took me with him to the farrowing house. A sow had had a litter of pigs during the night. It was amazing to see all those little babies! Governor Deal made a good point that our beginnings with livestock give us an appreciation for life. Not only that of the animals, but also our fellow humans.

After the shin-dig at the Depot ended we walked to the Capitol. I'd never been in the building before. We sat down in the President Pro Tem's office. He actually briefly left the session and talked with us there. His name is Tommie Williams. We are from the same city. It's nice to be from a place like Cheers. Well, Toombs County is hardly a bar with Rhea Pearlman as a waitress, but everybody knows your name.

I get tickled whenever we go off. So many people don't realize that my parents have two girls. They either see Jessica or myself, but rarely the two of us together. Oh, the puzzled looks I received today! What's more fun is for J and me to be together. The one year we went to National Convention was so much fun! What's even better is when we dress alike. Or fix our hair the same way. I don't see where we favor, but even our grandaddy gets us mixed up sometimes! In that same vein, Chip asked Daddy today how he gets such pretty girls to hang around with him. Daddy thought a minute, got that mischievous grin on his face, and quipped, "I raised them!". I thought that was pretty clever.

It was an honor to be able to be with my daddy today. He has so much to be cocky about, and yet he is one of the most humble people I know. Quickly I'll run over his accomplishments. He is a Christian. He served 4 years in the National Guard and 5 in the Navy. He and my mother raised three children while running a successful business. He was the charter president of the Toombs County FFA Alumni. He is currently serving as the Georgia FFA Alumni president, and is the Southern Region Representative on the National FFA Alumni Council. Daddy was Lyons, Georgia's 2009 Citizen of the Year. In 2010, he graduated from the Georgia Agri-Leaders Forum. With the agri-leaders he had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. Jon, my husband, and I were living just outside Annapolis (which is about 45 minutes away from D.C.) when Mr. Jimmy Hill and his crew came to visit. I had the honor of seeing my father lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Talk about a moving experience! I am so thankful to have him. I hope that my children will hold me in as high regard as I hold my own parents.

Now that I've rambled, and scrambled your train of thought let's go back to our original question. What does agriculture mean to you?

Does it mean farmers in overalls? Does it mean tractors? How about "rednecks" and "hicks"?

To me it means survival. Think about it. Do you like to be fed? I do. Do you like to have clothes? I do. What about a home? Do you like having a roof over your head? I do.

We have to have farmers to grow crops and raise animals for our food. We have to have farmers to grow cotton and shear sheep. We have to have people to cut timber. (Yup, that's part of agriculture.)

And for those of you who argue that football is more important in terms of revenue, what if there wasn't a farmer to grow the sod to go on the football field? It wouldn't look that pretty if somebody wasn't concerned about getting it fertilized and watered. Know who did that? A farmer!

Think about the agriculture in your neck of the woods. Is it crops? Animals? Timber? Sod? Fruit?

Next time you sit down to eat or get dressed to go out, think about the people who helped you do that. The people in the world of agriculture.