In this Blog I am going to Stack Stones with my stories of what God has done for our family. My hope is that others will see the stacked stones and ask to hear what the Lord God has done. These stories will show that our God is mighty and what he has done for us, he can do for you as well.
In Biblical times stones were used for two different purposes. They were used as markers. A stack of stones was erected at the corner of a person’s property so that others would know that they couldn’t allow their herds to graze there or plant their vines or would not trespass.
The other purpose for the stacked stones was as a memorial for the ways that God had helped the Israelites.
In Joshua 4 we see the Israelites getting ready to cross the Jordan River. After they had passed over Joshua told a man from each of the Twelve Tribes to get a stone from the riverbed. When the Israelites had all crossed over the Jordan river on dry ground Joshua set the 12 stones where they stopped that night.
Then Joshua said to the people of Israel, “when your children ask their fathers in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over the Jordan on dry ground.’
For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty; that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua 4:21-24
My first Stacked Stone is a story of the first time that I actually understood, for myself, without a doubt that God heard and answered my prayers.
THE LITTLE RED BOOK
I have known from a very young age that God answers prayer. Although I am not certain when the story I am going to share with you happened, I can pinpoint it as having occurred when I was between the ages of 5-7. Our family was living in the green and yellow house in Winnipeg, with the large tree in the front yard, surrounded by a black iron fence with a gate that I loved to swing on to wile away the long summer days.
On one such day a gentleman with a briefcase stopped and asked if my Mother was home. I said yes and ran ahead of the gentleman, to open the front door and excitedly call my Mom, to let her know we had a visitor.
It turns out this visitor wanted to sell something to my Mother. We lived in a Jewish neighborhood and my Mother could hold her own with the other women on the block, sending unwanted salesmen who arrived at the door, off with a flea in their ear!
But wonder of wonders, this salesman left our house with an order for a book of Bible stories. There were five books in the set and they were to arrive one volume at a time at specific intervals.
I was sure that Christmas and my birthday and Easter must have happened at once on that very afternoon I was so excited. A book was going to come to our house for my two sisters and me. Our very own book!
Every day when the postman arrived at our door I would run to see if he had brought our book to us. Each day my shoulders would slump with disappointment when there was no sign of the book.
Time passed. Days soon became weeks, and the weeks turned into a month. Still no book.
Finally, my Mother had had enough of my pestering and told me that the salesman was supposed to deliver the book to us.
Therefore, there was no point running to the door and pestering the postman.
I pondered the information and then acted. I knelt right down and explained the problem to God. What had happened, what was supposed to happen and asked Him to please send us the Little Red Book. Please I entreated with all my heart.
Surprisingly the book did not arrive the next day. Or the one after either.
But I still prayed because I knew that God could make it happen.
And He did! The little red book was delivered by the nice salesman. He probably wasn’t used to such a reception. Three little girls jumping up and down with excitement and squeals, my Mother vainly trying to bring some order and quiet.
As soon as the salesman left, we begged Mom to read to us. For many years each evening Mom would read us a story from that precious Little Red Book before we went to bed. That book had many bent and loose pages as the years moved on, but we never tired of hearing the stories.
God answered my prayers and I never forgot that. That certainty was locked into my mind and my heart.
The other books in the series never arrived but I had only asked for that first book .
Before I go I want to add an amazing anecdote to this story. I am now retired, so many years have passed. I don’t know what happened to our copy of the book, but have often wished I could read the stories once again.
In 2020 my sisters had arrived in Calgary to visit our Mom. She was in Pallative Care and we had arrived at the Care Home for a visit.
Mom was just finishing her morning routine so the three of us were waiting in the Front Foyer of the building.
Idly I ran my eyes over the books and magazines stacked on one of the bookcases flanking the fireplace. My eyes stopped on a little book. I rose and picked it up. My heart almost stopped. It was a copy of the Little Red book of our childhood, although without the Red book cover.
I showed it to my sisters. It was just as exciting as the day our book arrived at the our door, delivered by the salesman.
We flipped pages looking for each of our favorite stories. What a time of blessing we had that morning. After obtaining permission we took the book into Mom’s room, and my sister Bev read her a story, just like she had done so many times for us.
After our visit was over we returned the book to the bookcase. We have never seen the book again on the bookshelf but hope that whoever has it will be blessed as we were, both as children and briefly once again as adults. God is good.
Hello I have not put anything on my Blog for some time. Perhaps this next piece will explain what has been happening in my life.
MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 RSV
I had just shared these words with my sister one morning recently. We were all waiting for test results that her husband had undergone. He had been ill and in great pain for a very long time.
Half an hour later I received the news that our neighbor’s partner had died suddenly. She wasn’t sure why and was understandably in shock.
She said to my husband, “This is my second time down this road.” She had lost her husband five years ago to cancer.
We plan our days, even weeks blithely without a thought about whether we shall be present to enjoy our plans. Perhaps that is why death is such a shock when it comes.
I scurried to my laptop to put these thoughts on paper. The inertia for writing that I had been experiencing for the last couple of months was instantly gone.
I have much to say, countless words that God has placed in my heart and in my thoughts and I realized that now is the time to write them as I do not know how much time I have here on this earth.
These are not morbid thoughts but rather encouraging and invigorating, awakening me to the adventure of living the life that God has planned and purposed for me.
I am indeed blessed but my days on earth are also indeed numbered so I want to make each moment and opportunity that I have to proclaim His love and gift of salvation through my writing and prayer ministry.
I have moved from inertia to exhilaration today. I am on an adventure with my heavenly Father.
Who will join me?
Stones of Remembrance 