With the temps in the mid 60s yesterday afternoon, I ventured out in Mustang Sam with the top down to take in the beautiful afternoon. Sam needed a bath so to drive in scenic beauty with a destination in mind, we were off to Mars Hill. After getting Sam all cleaned up, I went over to Ingles to pick up some bread and an order of orange chicken. On the way home my brother texted me, "did you hear about Beth Moore?" My first thought was on my goodness, did one of those crazies get to her? The news was not all that surprising when he said she was leaving the SBC. I told him, she has been on that road for a while and finally made the cut off. Good for her!
Being a member at First Baptist Houston and attending Beth's Bible studies for years, you can't remember everything you learn and hear, but over the years she has made several statements that have stayed with me. One being on a Tuesday night, she shared she felt that God was telling her to quit plowing in the same ground. The encouragement to get out of those safe ruts and see what God would do in her life and ministry. I remember looking around the worship center at women in attendance and thought how this would affect them. On Tuesday nights, there were a lot of Beth look a likes in the audience. Same hair cut, color and attempts at recreating outfits that resembled what Beth wore. It wouldn't be too much longer that Tuesday Night Bible study ended meeting at First Baptist and I think Beth has certainly gotten out of the fallow ground and moved into new, yet difficult, fertile and fruitful fields.
This in my opinion, a lot of churches and ministries in the SBC have ridden on the back of LPM and Beth Moore. I have shared this many times but I remember standing with a preacher boy on the second floor in front of our offices at First and looking over the railing at the mass of women who had come early, to stand in line and get a close seat to the stage. The preacher boy said something derogatory and sarcastic about so many women waiting to get in the worship center. I responded to him, oh you're just jealous cause you'll never have people coming early to get a good seat when you're speaking. Beth never took an offering on Tuesday nights to cover the cost of the meetings and believe me, her ministry was charged for church usage.
I was naively wrong when I first heard about the rumblings from others concerning Beth with Trump running for President. I thought, you don't think other men in power haven't done something like this? This particular man just happened to brag and get caught saying this. At the time I was more upset that no one was upset about the Howard Stern Show. I didn't watch it because it was just raunchy and the whole premise of the program seemed to be to demean women. Now I know that it was more of evangelicals flocking to Trump that upset her. I was also wrong when one of her daughters wrote about entitlement. I did not see at the time that she was writing about white entitlement in the course of involvement with others in a racial tone. I thought it was just a general subject. Clearly, she was writing to improve relations and make people think. I was wrong in my assumptions back then.
My personal thanks for not only teaching me how to study the Bible, becoming outward in proclaiming the love of Jesus and delivering me from women's retreats that included or started with fashion shows, I am grateful for Beth's life and ministry. She doesn't need anything from me in speaking for her at this moment, but this is more for me to reflect and be grateful that now many more women will be taught and influenced by her. Maybe that influence will be more than hair styles and clothes, well, it will be cause God is in it.
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I started this part of the post yesterday.
My iPhone is almost on its last legs and persnickety about charging. Last night the phone was charging and I wasn't moving it as I went about the usual evening schedule. When I got back near the phone, there was a notification that my brother had called. So, I called him back and we talked for almost 2 1/2 hours. It has been awhile, so we did the catchup with each other's lives thing. Such fun! Along the way we talked about Covid 19, the Harry, Meghan and Oprah interview on Sunday evening and then the usual wonderings and wanderings of the age old, why?
Treat time held the usual ones on the back porch but Radley and Bobbsey were noticeably absent. Radley, not unusual but Bobbsey...well, he had a rough yesterday so maybe he is recovering somewhere along the gravel road or over by Mary Joyce. HP came in and ate a bit as well as basked in the heat of the heater fan we put out on the back porch. I need to bring her in this afternoon and get her used to the room she will be spending Thursday night in. With all the drama happening yesterday afternoon, I didn't get her inside.
Once again, I have started studying the Sunday School lesson for our first Sunday back in a modified setting. We will have the three women's classes meeting in the fellowship hall, with masks. We are using material from last summer so we can be good stewards of our resources.
Every time I hear the sound of equipment I run over to a front window and check to see if they are taking down the barn across the road. So far, it has been workmen over a holler working on a house and our neighbor who drives one of those big dump trucks. Whew! I know the day is coming but I like seeing it put off as long as possible. The work across the way is clearing out trees and burning them. Makes me feel so good that they are burning on some of the lowest humidity days and no rain in the forecast. Last night I could see the fire glowing in the darkness of that field. I only hoped there were people still around keeping an eye on things.
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I brought HP in yesterday for a while. She also spent a lot of time on the back porch. I will scoop her up later this afternoon and bring her in for the night cause she has an appointment with the vet in the morning. She and Buddy hiss at one another through the screen. I tried getting as much sleep as possible last night cause I think the next few nights won't hold much rest.
The fire department was called last night and showed up at the field across the road. We are under a burn watch/warning and the workers were stoking the fire up until dusk. It had a fiery glow along with flames. The trucks left after a bit so I guess that means there were people onsite making sure the fire didn't get out of hand. Who knows?
There is something different about the Feral Fam. I think Radley, Baby and Bobbsey have moved over past Mary Joyce's house. Biggio is sometime here and the orange cats are around, mostly. The three Boos were not around all afternoon but saw them last night and one of them this morning. The odd mix to the scenario is, an orange cat I have never seen before, coming around. He has back hip issues like Strawyer. Clearly he has a presence because several of the cats saw him last night and behaved with fear. When I came out onto the back porch he went up to the gravel road but he might have hung around up there in the dark. My concern today is with HP who is asleep on the back porch this morning.
The workmen are back across the road so I am on fire watch and cat watch this morning.
***cat watch update***
I saw Radley and Baby has been around too. HP has been on the porch twice and I am trying to act in a normal routine cause everything within me wants to hold her captive, but that will not work. So, I am praying that she will come back around in the late afternoon so I can get her and bring her in the house.
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