Heart Hope by Olga

Mother recently reminded me of the incident that happened when I was an adolescent. Even though I didn’t recall it happening, it is profound even for today. My grandmother had just been diagnosed with breast cancer at a time when there was not much that they could do other than a total mastectomy and radiation. Often times it was like a death sentence. Surrounded by loved ones she was asked a poignant question by my mother - was she upset. The answer that followed tells a lot about the woman, her faith and her relationship with her Lord. “I will be fine after I go to Gethsemane,” she responded. It might seem an odd response, but what she meant was that she needed to get alone with her Father and pray about her dire situation. And once she had told Him her desires she could then repeat the words that Jesus had spoken, “If you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Grandmother had a difficult situation to face, but we all have some ...

While sitting at lunch, my grandson Will was watching a movie on an iPhone. It was loud and distracting, so I offered him ear buds so he could listen without disturbing others around. A friend sitting at the table said, "Now there's a modern day grandmother." His comment made me think, "What is a modern day grandmother? How are we different from our predecessors? And what do I want to be remembered for?" Grandparents today don't want to look old, act old or be old. They want to be seen as cool and be in the know with all of the latest gadgets. I've even seen many "competing" in a variety of ways to be the "best." In some ways we are very similar to grandparents of days gone by. We love our own and think they are the best. We brag on them and show off pictures. We desire to spend quality time with them. And we want to pass on traditions from our own heritage. Technology has made a difference in many ways, allowing us ...

One of my most vivid childhood memories of growing up in Mississippi in the 60s is sitting in church on a Sunday morning waiting for the service to begin. All of a sudden there was a ruckus just to my left. As I looked over to see what was going on I found there was a group of men from the church on one side of the swinging door pushing against it. As the door swung back and forth it became evident that there was a family of Blacks on the other side of the door trying to enter the sanctuary. In my little pre-teen mind I questioned, “Why won’t the men let the people come to church? This is God’s house and everyone should be allowed to come in and worship.”  Don’t you find it interesting that a young girl could have had more wisdom than the grown men who were supposedly the leaders of the church?  Those men were not living according to the teachings of Christ such as love, kindness, compassion, just as many people today don’t either. They choose to make up their own rules and ...

My grandmother, Sadie Brock Heard, was one of the greatest influences in my life. She was a wonderful godly woman, loved by all who knew her. Recently my mother came upon the document below that my grandmother wrote about 50 years ago, but as you read it you will see it is a timeless piece of advice for us today as well. I hope you enjoy it and heed her recommendation. “It is good for our souls to have quiet times of silence and meditation as often as possible. Then the things begin to fall into their proper places and we look with quiet eyes at the whole of life. Noise confuses; silence brings order. The value of worshipping alone cannot be proved by words. We must be willing to try it. We Americans tend to be a noisy, hurrying people. We seldom pause to go deeply into the things of the spirit. Prayer is not just talking to God, asking Him for things. It is listening to Him in silence, giving Him an opportunity to speak to us. An intense silence can sometimes be the truest prayer...