Fifteen years ago tonight, I decided to start writing posts about life in the Toussaint family and how God is present with believers every step of the way – year in and year out. I had been thinking about writing for quite some time but, for some reason, I just didn’t have the correct motivation to actually bring it to reality and begin.
That evening, I was rummaging through some old books and came across a Bible that my paternal grandmother had presented to me on my 10th birthday – February 19, 1963. To be certain, it really wasn’t a complete Bible – it was the New Testament plus the Psalms. In all honesty, it wasn’t the ideal gift that a ten year old boy wanted to receive. I would have much rather had a toy, puzzle, game or some other item of interest to young kids. But it was not to be. I even remembered how disappointed I was when I opened the package.
Here I was, 48 years later, on my own birthday, when I happened to glance at the inscription that Grandma wrote in the front. It was just the motivation that I needed to start writing my Transitions by The Book posts. I wrote about receiving that small pocket volume as my first post – on the evening of my 58th birthday. Tonight, this is post #2152 and there are more than 2,000,000 words relating to God and our lives. And to think that I didn’t have enough motivation to write a book – that folks wouldn’t be interested in this topic… I was wrong…
I figured that TBTB would be a fad for a while – something I would soon grow tired of – but the opposite has happened. Tonight I celebrate 15 years of writing about life in our family and how God shows up. I’ve written about celebrations, sorrows, even deaths of family members and a number of posts that dig into the theology of the Bible and the original languages. Not that I was a language scholar or anything, but there are stories in the Scripture that are so much more alive when read in their original languages.
I have laughed at times, grieved more times than I can remember and taught on virtually every book of God’s Word. Early on I developed a formula that seemed to work for me. Each post started with a story, like this story you are reading right now. Then I chose an appropriate verse that fit the context of the subject matter. After that, I offered a short encouragement and finished each post with a short prayer. I close each post with the words, “Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…” This came from the way that Paul always wished his churches and followers “grace and peace…” God’s grace always comes before peace…
On this, the evening of my 73rd birthday, I still have the motivation and interest to continue writing. I have reduced my corporate consulting but have not wavered in my teaching of Bible studies, Biblically based guidance and writing these posts for our readers on Thursday and Sunday evenings. If anything, God has shown me that this is part of my calling as I progress through this season of my life.
As I reflect on the last year, things have changed a little. I am more used to limiting my corporate work and find myself continuing to study Greek and become more proficient in my hobbies. I enjoy grilling and smoking meats – and find myself using my spiritual gift of hospitality, along with leadership and teaching. I teach at other churches from time to time and have been a guest pastor when a church needs someone to fill in for a week or more. In fact, I have agreed to teach part of a Lenten series on the Good News of Jesus when I will focus on verses in Matthew.
We have faced some health challenges this past year as well. I had a stem cell procedure to mitigate damage to my knees in the hopes that I could avoid surgery. So far, so good… I would call it a miracle. Janet has continued to suffer with her sciatica and finally made the decision to have spinal surgery in late January – decompression and fusion of 4 vertebrae in her lumbar spine. We are three weeks post op and so far, she is progressing nicely. It’s a long recovery – two years to have complete healing but it is anticipated that after 6-9 months, things will be closing in on a new normal. All in all, Janet and I have had a great life so far. I can’t think of anyone I would rather spend time with – and we are celebrating 53 years of marriage this August.
As I have done each year since the beginning, the verse for tonight is the verse that my grandmother noted in the front of that small pocket Bible that I received in 1963. It’s a great reminder for me that God is still at work in each of our individual lives. The author of Hebrews tells us, and Grandma told me, in Hebrews 13:20-21, “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
My encouragement this evening is that God has begun a good work in each of us, in accordance with His will for our lives, and He will equip us accordingly to help us carry out the divine mission that He has assigned to each of us. Even if we don’t know exactly what that mission is, or will be, God will get us there. And we will have the tools that we need to get the job done. That certainly has been the case in my life and will be the same for you. My prayer is that we will act in accordance with the leading of the Holy Spirit and know that God’s plan for us is far better than anything we could dream up for ourselves. Thanks again for your loyalty. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…