Beth From Bynum

 Wow!  Much has happened since the last entry in this blog.  The truth of the matter, I'd lost the address for my blog and had difficulty in locating it.  I recently updated my computer and was able to find MY BLOG!  I was so happy because I didn't want to lose all my writings.  I guess I need to go through and copy them all to my hard drive and put them in a book for my girls to have when I'm gone. So much has transpired since my last entry.  My dad was diagnosed with cancer (again) in 2019 and went to be with Jesus February 21, of 2020. Covid shut down our world in March of 2020.  Our oldest daughter got married August 21, 2021.  Our youngest daughter moved to South Korea in February of 2022.  That's a lot of life changes.  Through it all, God has been faithful to us all!  Praise His Name. As time allows, I'll try to go back and write more details of each event.  If you are reading this, thank you for taking time out of ...

Today, as I've worshiped and communed with the Lord from my house due to inclement weather, I've been reminded of how many people I know who are hurting. A cousin of mine, Iva Stewart, in Oklahoma went to be with Jesus yesterday after a brief battle with cancer. Her family is hurting today. My cousin Cleo is battling cancer right now. She and her family are hurting. A man who attended our church was buried yesterday after a battle with cancer. His family is hurting today. My cousin Kayla is by the bedside of her mother who is preparing to make that transition to heaven. Kayla and her family are hurting today. Our friend Howard lost a nephew this week to a car wreck. He and his family are hurting. My friend Lynn is by the side of her father who is gradually being swallowed by dementia. She and her family are hurting. A friend of mine has had her heart broken. She's hurting and has questions. Many of my friends have lost children. They are hurting. ...

It's been a long time since I've sat and written for my blog.  I seriously doubt that anyone ever reads it, but I enjoy writing for it from time to time.  I'm going to try to get my writing juices stirred and get this blog a little more active. My life is so busy that free time is hard to come by.  I'm always open for suggestions and may venture into some different areas with the blog. Keep watch . . . . Beth

What an amazing two days it has been. Yesterday we were piano buyers, and today we were piano movers! The amazing thing was that the Lord was in it and going before us to make a way! Eddie had seen a piano in an Estate Sale ad on Facebook Thursday night. He mentioned it to me but I was drowning in taxes and didn't have time to think about it. Friday (yesterday), Eddie and I decided to go to the estate sale and check out the piano. The person in charge of the sale told me that someone else was interested in it but it I gave her money for it, the piano would be mine. I played it, and though it was slightly out of tune, the action was in great shape. I got out my checkbook and the piano was mine. I thought the piano would be an asset to the choir room at church and contacted Pastor Bill and Barry about it, hoping they would agree!  ;)  They did and Barry said he would try to get us some help in moving it. When I woke up this morning I still had not heard from any potential mov...

I am hesitant to write about this but have felt led by the Lord to share it as a testimony to God's grace and mercy and as a reminder of how important it is to trust God and be obedient not only to His Word but also to His small, quiet voice that speaks to us.  (I am in NO WAY bragging about my part in this saga.  God gets all the credit and glory.) I realize that homelessness is a major issue in our country.  Much of it is a result of poor choices whether it be drugs, alcohol, or gambling.  This story is not about that, and I don't want to waste time and energy trying to find blame. This story is about how God loves us and wants to bless us.  He simply wants us to trust completely in Him and be obedient in ALL things.  You may find my story filled with too many details, but I feel they are necessary in showing how God works to lead us to where He wants us to be.  It is very evident in the story that I'm going to share with you. I had not felt...

Today, I had a light bulb moment, which is surprising.  (The older I get the less frequent they become!)  I realized that I'm becoming like my late grandmother, Mary Melvina Stewart Matthews, and it was the first time that had dawned on me.  I know I'm a lot like my mom but had never really seen a lot of my grandmother in myself.  It's not a bad thing, but I had to warn Eddie who is just coming to terms with my becoming like my mother!  (grin) My grandmother, for those of you who knew her, was a saint!  There was not a person she did not like, and she had a true servant's heart.  She was one of the most unique people I've ever known and saw things in ways that most people didn't see them. What triggered my "moment" was the story about "Fred, my grandmother's  electronic clock.  "Fred" was an innovator of his time.  He was a simple looking, 2.5" cube that could be programmed to audibly give the time and date on the hour...

"Being on the Outside"      One of the times I dreaded the most in elementary school was physical education or recess. (I'm sure many of you are nodding as if to say, "we can tell!")  It was not that I didn't enjoy exercising or running and playing.  It was because of the dreaded choosing of the teams .  Usually the strongest, most popular kids were chosen as team captains and asked to chose their team members from the rest of us.  The trend was to choose your friends first, the strongest and fastest next, and last, the few who no one really wanted on their teams but were obligated to take.  I'm sure you're thinking that Beth was in the second group.  You are wrong!  I was usually in the last group.      This trend of selective choosing didn't seem to stop as I got older.  When I was in the 6th grade, I remember a student who I will call "Alice".  She didn't fit into any of the school "...