Tag: Jesus

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Bendable, Poseable Jesus

The Easter holiday before Dad died, I sent him a Bendable, Poseable Jesus of Nazareth. Back before we knew just how sick he was because he kept preaching and going to book sales and doing all the other things he always did, I thought it looked like just the kind of thing he could use for a children’s sermon or could work into some story he was telling. I must confess that I thought it was a bit funny, too, this Bendable, Poseable Jesus figure- – because the adjectives just seem silly, as if the product might sell on name alone. As if Jesus had ever posed for a selfie or been a contortionist.

Imagine my surprise when I found this gift still unopened in the package in the guest room after Dad died. I was going through all the boxes, and up popped Jesus in his Jesus sandals and robes. I decided to take him back home with me. With the way my year has gone throughout 2025, I need all the Jesus I can get.

As we packed to leave for Tennessee for a week with our children and grandchildren, I gathered colored pencils and games, puzzles, and toys to take for the week. I also grabbed Jesus, still packaged, to come along for the ride.

He spent the first couple of days in the kitchen window just in case I got tempted to say any words that would not be appropriate around children. And to remind me to be kind and patient and all the other fruits of the spirit.

Eventually, one of the grandchildren opened him and took him out of the plastic and cardboard, posing and bending the figure and playing with it. Even the baby of the bunch, Silas, got in on the Jesus action.

Silas, checking out Jesus

They played Peek-a-Boo, which may have reminded my daughter of the way my late parents hid a Waldo figure for each other to find. She began hiding Jesus and challenging all the cousins to find him.

Countless times throughout the days, they would play this game, taking turns hiding and finding. My son came up from the game room and asked what they were doing.

“We’re finding Jesus,” they all shouted, in unison. The look on his face was priceless.

On our last day, Jesus was in the middle of a good hide. We’d not seen him since the day before, and we almost forgot him, when my daughter remembered him and asked, “Where’s Jesus?”

Saylor, the oldest granddaughter who’d been the last to hide him, ran back inside and then returned shortly, carrying him out to the car.

“We can’t leave Jesus in Tennessee,” she exclaimed.

Nope, and we didn’t. Jesus is safely packed back in the bag to be hidden again on our next trip together. He’s a part of our daily lives, yes – – but on vacation, He will come along and play all the games with the children, and abide with the adults in a very chaperoning way.

We need as much of Him as we can get.

We all need Jesus

to remind us to be kind

to seek Him daily

Mallory and Beckham with Bendable, Poseable Jesus
With 6 of our 7 grandchildren – Beckham, Saylor, Magnolia Mae (Noli), Sawyer holding Silas, and River
Our 4 – Ansley, Andrew, Marshall, and Mallory
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The Biblical History Center: The Nativity Tour

time with our grandson

sharing a Biblical meal

(he teamed up for pranks)

On Saturday, we picked up our oldest grandson, Aidan, and headed over to LaGrange, Georgia to the Biblical History Center. We’d gone a couple years back and enjoyed the regular tour, so we wanted to take Aidan back to share in the Biblical Meal and join us on the Nativity Tour, which begins November 1 and runs through December. Since he plans to enter the ministry, we correctly predicted that this would be a highlight of his Christmas season (which, by the way, now apparently starts the day after Halloween).

You can read my previous 3-part blog posts here, here, and here.

In true grandfather/grandson style, the first thing they did in the midst of the reverence of the meal was prank my blog photographs (I confess – – I do take a lot of pictures since I like to use them when I write). First, my husband diverted his gaze upward. Of course, I showed it to them and playfully scolded Poppy for messing up the picture. I told them we’d have to take another one.

And look at this. Just look at what these clowns did.! They teamed up to keep the prank going. So of course……we had to take another. People around us were holding back laughter, and I felt at once as if I were back in church sitting by that one friend you should never sit with in church, knowing you might not behave.

Finally, they got it just right. Fun at its best with these two!

We started the meal with our guide, blessing first the drinks and then the food. As she offered the prayer first in English and then in Hebrew, we repeated the Hebrew words. Then, we began passing the food – mostly a Mediterranean diet, starting with unleavened bread (a flour tortilla), followed by eggs, hummus, raisins, grilled chicken (substituted for lamb), spinach/artichoke dip, lentil soup, grapes, applesauce, salad, and black and green olives. We did not use forks, since they didn’t in Biblical times. We drank our soup and ate with our fingers or used our flour tortilla to scoop food and eat it. The health department requires the center to provide napkins, but they explained that in Biblical times, we would not have had them. Additionally, in Biblical times we would not have been seated but actually more laid back on our sides to share the meal.

As we made our way along the tour, we learned the truth about the inn which would have normally been an extra room in a home of a family and not an inn as we think of it like a hotel or British pub with rooms upstairs. A family would not have welcomed a pregnant woman about to give birth, because the birthing process would have deemed the house unclean and they would have had to leave for a month. The place where Jesus was born was more likely a sheepfold, and a manger made not of wood but of stone. Not so much a stable as a livestock barn but more of a sheep enclosure.

This was a fabulous day, and we also were blessed to see the archaeological artifacts on loan from Israel. This is the only Biblical History Center in the entire United States Southeast that has these items, including a coin like the one that the woman in the Bible lost from her wedding headdress. It was fascinating to see the pottery pieces, the tools, and the weaving looms from Biblical times. These items remain in a vault that is climate controlled, behind glass, and no photographs can be taken of them. It was a treat to be able to see the items on display and have a guide who explained their significance. I think that of all the artifacts, I was most fascinated with the beads that were found in an Old Testament tomb. The beads were coiled scrolls that contain the Aaronic Blessing with the message The Lord Bless You and Keep You, The Lord Lift His Countenance Upon You and Give You Peace and be Gracious Unto You. These beads held importance for establishing the significance of the cultural context of the tomb and its place in history.

After a three hour tour including a meal and a narrated historical journey through the center’s outdoor replicas of historically accurate structures – and a t-shirt for Aidan to help him think of his trip each time he wears it – we took a moment to stop at Starbucks for a cup of iced coffee and to chat about our time together. Aidan said his favorite part was learning about the true foot position of crucifixion which is more likely pierced through the side of the ankle than the top of the foot. Briar said his favorite part of the visit to the center was the interactive lighted maps of Biblical places, and my favorite part was watching Aidan’s participation in answering questions that demonstrated his knowledge of the Bible and his passion for all it means to him.

Next up when we return to the Biblical History Center in the spring: The Easter Tour.

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Western Kentucky Botanical Gardens Surprise!

they’re tying the knot!

he proposed – and she said yes!

so many blessings!

The day began like any other, only it wasn’t. A bowl of Raisin Bran with a sliced banana and a cup of coffee, the back-hum of morning news and the coming and going of guests all eating breakfast in a Hampton Inn in Western Kentucky – – and I was among them, looking forward to the big surprise awaiting my daughter at the Western Kentucky Botanical Gardens in the afternoon. No, this day was certainly not like any other I’d ever lived.

On August 20, he’d asked for her hand, and I gave my whole-hearted blessing. He’d been there for her on one of the toughest roads of her life. In those moments that held emotional release as I watched them interact in their early days, I saw something different about this young man and the way he’d interacted with my daughter.

First, the love in his eyes. His mother said the same thing: he’s dated before, but I’ve never seen him look at anyone else with such love. Her observation took the words right out of my mouth. Their love for each other is evident. So real you can see it.

Second, the care. I witnessed her tears as she sat at the table searching for a lost item needing to be found, hearing her sniffles at the sense of hopelessness for only a moment before he got up from his chair, rounded the table, took her in his arms, and comforted her in the gentlest way.

I prayed. Lord, please let us find what we need.

Then, in an obscure envelope in the most unlikely place in the box from the attic, it manifested itself like sunlight rising over a crest.

This journey has been one of prayer, one of power seen in the ordinary moments for this couple. And God winked on them – he knows her tender heart, knew it would take a strong and patient man to win her heart and her trust. And the good Lord sent just the right soul mate.

Third, the lighthearted fun and playful side that keeps them laughing – a quick run and boot-bottom slide down the aisle of the store when no one is looking, teasing each other here and there in all the ways that will get them through life without taking it all too seriously to be enjoyed. He asked her what kind of birthday cake she’d wanted, and she jokingly quipped she’d wanted a cake like Aunt Petunia made in one of the Harry Potter movies.

And he made it for her.

And fourth, the commitment. I saw it before, but I saw it in other ways on my visit here on my fall break- the commitment to family, to God, to each other. This family sits down for cooked meals – – talks about what they want to eat, shops for it, slices carrots and mashes four full heads of cauliflower like mashed potatoes and cooks together. Someone makes shortbread and can talk about the balance of sugars and fats and how that’s the science of baking that he knows so well. Another pulls out a special sauce to marinate the chicken for the grill, while one takes it to the flat top for cooking. There is a throng of family present, and they take turns walking and feeding the rescue dogs that are a part of their family. They all pitch in, then they sit down together and thank God for his many blessings. And one takes the plates when everyone is finished, while his mother thanks him. I believe somewhere in the deepest reaches of my heart that they also thank God for their challenges. The mold issue that forced them to gut their home and rebuild it brought a more spacious kitchen – – one where the table is at the heart, filled with chairs for coming together and talking at the end of the day – a place where conversation keeps them connected like the roots of the strongest trees. It keeps them close.

I knew why I gave my blessing, but it wasn’t until I visited and became part of the fabric of this amazing family that I fully understood what she shared on her Facebook post:

I’m thrilled for these two young adults with their lives ahead of them – ready for the living, with a family who loves them – and them, ready to love their own family when they welcome their son into the fold in January. And I was blessed to be a part of their big moment yesterday. This young man knew her mama’s heart needed to be there to celebrate, and he made it happen, holding tight to the ring he’s had waiting for two months now, buying a new jacket with big enough pockets to hide the ring for just the right moment, just the right place, just the right timing.

Steadfast prayers of so many have brought the most beautiful blessings!