Those Who Write

"A few songs with Him might change the way you sing, Forever."

Max Lucado 

"Ray Palmer was having a tough year. He wanted to go into the ministry but was stuck teaching at a girls' school in New York City. He was lonely, depressed, and sick. Then he found a German poem about a sinner kneeling before the cross. He translated it and added four stanzas." The One Year Book of Hymns, William J. Peterson and Randy Peterson, April 26 devotion

I enjoy reading the inspiration behind a song. Maybe because I like to write. How do other people write? What inspires them? Ray Palmer wrote the hymn "My Faith Looks Up to Thee." You may remember the first verse:

"My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine!

Now hear me while I pray, Take all my guilt away, O let me from this day Be wholly Thine!

Continuing from the devotion, "I wrote the verses with tender emotion," he said later. "There was not the slightest thought of writing for another eye, least of all writing a hymn for Christian worship.

"Two years later, while visiting Boston, he ran across his friend Lowell Mason. Mason, a major figure in American music in the early 1800s, was preparing a new hymnal. He asked Palmer if he'd like to contribute anything. Palmer bashfully showed Mason these verses. Mason said, "You may live many years and do many good things, but I think you will be best known to posterity as the author of 'My Faith Looks Up to Thee.'"

 

I like the other verses too:

"May Thy rich grace impart Strength to my fainting heart, My zeal inspire;

As Thou hast died for me, O may my love to Thee Pure, warm and changeless be, A living fire!

"While life's dark maze I tread And griefs around me spread, Be Thou my guide;

Bid darkness turn to day, Wipe sorrow's tears away, Nor let me ever stray From Thee aside.

"When ends life's passing dream, When death's cold, threatening stream Shall o'er me roll,

Blest Savior, then, in love, Fear and distrust remove; O lift me safe above, A ransomed soul!

                                                                                                                        Ray Palmer (1808-1887)  

We can learn so much about Jesus and the gospel from hymns. They encourage us, strengthen us, teach us and inspire us. They repel discouragement and worry. But most of all, they praise God.

If you don't know the tune you can listen here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGKLmThF2to


Thank you, Ray Palmer, for turning your discouragement into praise for God! We still sing your song.
 

The Birth of a Chip

National Potato Chip Day, March 14
  (my birthday)

With all the concerns in our country and the world right now, I thought I'd post an article I wrote back in 1990 to bring a chuckle and a smile. 

I was 41, still young enough to have a little fun. The article was 850 words, so I left out half of it so it wouldn't be too long, but I hope you'll have fun reading what's here. Smile!

"When my husband, Jerry, told me we were going to tour a potato chip factory, a flashback of all the reasons I married him ran through my mind as I clobbered him with a giant hug! Potato chips is my middle name. Jerry never knew what hit him.

"I don't recall when my love affair with potato chips began. I remember coming home after church services each Sunday, heading straight to the kitchen to fill a plate high with chips. They were my favorite snack. Plus, they took care of my growling stomach.

"My Sunday morning feast got me in trouble when I was young. Mom would have dinner on the table an hour later, and my stomach rebelled. I knew the score: "No more chips before dinner." if I complained of being full. There was only one thing to do: obediently eat dinner and suffer silently.

"All through my life, potato chips have been my friends. Diets didn't distract me--everything was off limits but the chips.

"I could scarcely keep still in my seat as Jerry and I made the hour drive to the UTZ factory in Hanover, MD. UTZ delivers chips and other related edibles to my home town in MD, as well as other locations from New Jersey to North Carolina.

 Here's two of my UTZ T-shirts that I enjoyed wearing. And yes, I'm licking the beater filled with chocolate on it!

"When we arrived at the plant, we glanced through some brochures provided by the company. We read about the operation and received a peak at what we'd see on the tour. One of the brochures begin with the history of the first potato chip.

"'The year was 1853. The place was 'Moon's Place,' a popular resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. There, an Indian cook named Aunt Kate accidentally dropped a very thin potato into hot fat. As Aunt Kate fished the crispy morsel from the fat, restaurant owner, George Crum happened by and tasted America's first potato chip . . .' (I checked out the story online and there are similar reports of the history, which say Crum deliberately dropped the thin potato in hot fat because a customer had complained about thick, soggy fried potatoes, but this is what was on the UTZ information we received.)


"The production plant is huge, 500,000 square feet. In an elevated, glass enclosed observation gallery, we listened to recorded messages about the chip production process . . . The most amazing thing I learned was the quickness of going from raw potato to packaged and ready-for-delivery chips. From start to finish is barely 30 minutes.

"There are four steps in making potato chips: potato selection, preparation, frying, and inspection and seasoning. Each process is carefully supervised by trained attendants. It was all Jerry could do to hold me back from taking my place on the production line. Several workers observe all the chips and pick out the dark ones. My hands would be going straight to the perfect ones!

"In one hour, 12,000 lbs. of potato chips are produced. Potato chip heaven!

I had this magnet for my refrigerator door!

"When the tour ended, Jerry and I drove to the outlet store a few blocks away, which is well stocked with all of UTZ's products. I had the pleasure of picking out two potato chip shirts.

"Well satisfied, we drove home thinking about potato chips. 'You know, I've made potato chips before,' Jerry said. 'You have?' I responded surprised. 'I bet we could make ourselves a few chips,' Jerry teased. I filed that adventure away for another day.

"Well, gotta go now. Dinner's about an hour away and old habits never die. It's Chip time!"


 
I sent the article to UTZ to see if they wanted to publish it. They didn't. But they did send me a 3 1/2 gallon can of my favorite chips!!!

I took some pictures but haven't found them. Although I sent the article to several other places, I never did get it published, but I sure had fun writing it!

I still hunger for those potato chips, but they just don't taste as good as they did way back then. Actually, I think it's my taste buds that aren't cooperating anymore. Aging seems to change a lot of things.

I'll always remember those potato chips and my visit to their factory! One of those "best" days!

My Highlighter Works

"Words are things, and a small drop of ink

Falling like dew upon a thought, produces

That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think."

Lord George Noel Gordon Byron (1788-1824)

 Last week I spent time looking through all my deer pictures and pulling out special ones that I've taken. Remembering where I was and when I snapped a shot is always a happy memory. My heart is always filled with joy when I find fawn just laying around relaxing. This is one of them.

I'm a highlighter. I love to highlight sentences, paragraphs or words that speak to my heart. I love to write down those things I've highlighted in my journal so I can read them again.

Charles Spurgeon said if a book isn't worth reading a second time, then it's not worth reading at all. I agree. If I'm going to keep a book I've purchased, I read it again. Sometimes a number of times through the years. Highlighting parts along the way always brings back memories.

I watched this doe and fawn and two other does walk up this hill one early summer morning. Just slowly enjoying the early morning as they walked along.

During this time of confinement I was able to purchase David Jeremiah's Study Bible. It was $20 off, and I decided I could buy it. This week I've gone down memory lane.

From Genesis to Revelation I've gone page by page in the Bible I've used for 40 years and
highlighted all the verses in the new book. What an experience! What a journey!

I always love tender moments between doe and fawn.

I make notes also on the pages of my Bible. It helps me remember important times in my life by seeing notations written down. Happy memories and important decisions that I've made along the way.

I've found by highlighting verses in the Bible I know where they are when I'm in need of encouragement. I've not been successful in memorizing verses, but by highlighting verses I can recall them and find them quickly. I can see them on the page. I may not remember every word, but I easily have my hand on them quickly.

Maybe you don't need a new Bible or can't afford one. If you've made similar notations or highlights along the way, you can experience the same joy I have. Start at the beginning and go page by page. You'll be encouraged and inspired as you stop and consider what your notes bring to mind.

Another month and I'll be leaving first light to find those young fawn once again. Can't wait!

My mighty highlighter is a constant reminder to seek out those words that refresh my spirit, inspire my soul and strengthen my mind. My highlighter works! Do you have one?

"Words--so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become, in the hands of one who knows how to combine them!"

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

Now that's a big boy! Always a thrill to see a buck standing strong and majestic. 

PS  In Charles Spurgeon's devotion yesterday he said Jesus is a "sachet of myrrh" Song of Solomon 1:13

"He meets every variety of needs, not just one, for everything we need is found in Him. Just consider the wonderful variety of roles He fulfilled. Jesus is a treasure of sufficiency: Prophet, Priest, King, Husband, Friend and Shepherd . . . Picture His Goodness, Courage, Self denial, Love, Faithfulness, Truth and Righteousness. Everywhere we look He is a treasure of sufficiency. We must value Him as our greatest treasure, prizing His words and His precepts."

Saturate Your Mind and Heart

"Solitude is bearable only with God."

Andre Gide, 1869-1951

The season of new birth. Calves are a delight to photograph. Here's a chuckle on me: One early morning driving to work I saw a newborn calf far off in the field close to the beltway. It was raining. No other cows were around. I took the next exit, counted the houses and pulled in and knocked on the door of a farmhouse to let them know the calf was alone. I'm sure they had a good chuckle that morning!

Sunday morning I watched a video by my pastor in Maryland and at the end he provided words of encouragement. Hymns. Old hymns. Sing them.

Why? Because hymns aren't just songs. "They are powerful instruments of God to draw people closer to His Word and the saving riches therein." Billy Graham  You learn the gospel when you sing hymns.

An early morning thrill of watching a newborn stand up for the first time.

That same morning I read a devotion from God Hears Her by Our Daily Bread titled "Remembering . . ." I found the words interesting since I'm in the age group they were being applied to.

"Our difficult part of growing older is the fear of short-term memory loss. But Dr. Benjamin Mast, an expert on Alzheimer's, offers encouragement. He says that patients' brains are often so 'well worn' and 'habitual' that they can hear an old hymn and sing along to every word. He suggests that spiritual disciplines such as reading Scripture, praying, and singing hymns cause truth to become 'embedded' in our brains, ready to be accessed when prompted.

"In Psalm 119 we read how the power of hiding God's word in our heart can strengthen us, teach us obedience, and direct our footsteps. This in turn gives us hope and understanding. Even when we begin to notice memory slips in ourselves or in the life of a loved one, God's Word, memorized years earlier, is still there, 'stored up' or 'treasured' in our heart. God's words will continue to speak to us.

“Nothing—not even a failing memory—can separate us from His love and care. We have His word on it.”

  

 Wilson's Farm in MD gave me many opportunities to take pictures of calves.

I've mentioned my Melody of Hymns before and can see how they will always be a part of me, pulling them up at just the right time. The same would be true in memorizing Scripture. Rereading favorite and meaningful Scripture over and over to the place where you know it in your heart. It will never leave. It's is a part of you.

You read occasionally about an older person sitting down to play the piano, remembering the song completely, yet has lost all memory of the past and present. Or singing songs of faith when there seems to be no memory at all.

God's Word stays with you. He gave each of us the ability to retain our faith by deeply saturating our being with His Words and hymns through our entire life.

If you are young, take these words to heart. Saturate your mind and heart with God's Words and His hymns. You will be amazed, grateful and thankful in your later life to realize what your earlier learning has done for you. You will be supplied with inspiration, encouragement and joy from what lies in your heart and mind.

I call them lumps in the field.

Yes, I will be singing my way through the frightening and anxious season our country is in. Pick up a hymnal, recall those songs from years ago that spoke to your heart, and fill your mind with truthful, reassuring words knowing God can and will get us through in such a time like this.Very good advice Dr. Trammell. Thank you!