The Sweetness of HIS Love

"You have turned my wailing into dancing; YOU removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to YOU and not be silent. O LORD my GOD, I will give you thanks forever." Psalm 30:11-12

Dear Praying Friends and Family,

I have been convicted about something I wrote a few of weeks ago when i mentioned my friend visiting with a doctor while she was campaigning. Well, he was a doctor, though not a medical doctor. I knew that, but didn't clarify it thinking that it sounded more impressive if I didn't. The LORD has been convicting me about misleading you and I want to confess that to you and ask your forgiveness for leading you to think something that wasn't the truth. I thought about it and wrote it anyway, not clarifying what type of doctor the man is. Please forgive me for my deception. Thank you so much for your forgiveness.


Last Friday morning, Hannah Beth and I packed the bicycles and tent in our car and headed down to Joe Wheeler State Park to join our friends from the Athens Dulcimer Club for a weekend of camping. HB and I had been wanting to go camping for a while and the LORD opened up the opportunity to go with our friends Jerry and Louise Todd, who head up the Dulcimer group. After we arrived at the campground that morning, Jerry and Louise were there waiting on us. They were getting their camper set up, and Louise was putting tablecloths on the tables and putting yellow flowers on the tables. That "feminine" touch really meant a lot to me, cause I don't think that way. My sister is the one who remembers to put out flowers and such as that...and it's funny she is the newlywed living in a camper now in the country! I was so glad for Hannah Beth to see Louise's example. Hannah Beth certainly has that touch, but somehow that "gene" skipped over me. As Jerry and Louise got their camper set up, HB and I set up our little tent. I didn't realize it, but HB was a little nervous about us setting up the tent by ourselves, and she was really glad to learn that we could do that without too much trouble with a hammer, some stakes, and the little pole thing that threaded down the middle. She figured out how to tie the pole up in the middle-I would probably still be there trying to figure that out if it weren't for her. Jerry and Louise were so kind and offered to help us in any way that they could....in fact, Louise was like a Mother Hen to us all weekend, fretting over us, like she did everyone else, and taking care of us. Thankfully, the LORD was gracious, and HB and I got the tent set up without having to back track too much.

After we set up the tent, HB and I headed back to our house to finish packing. We had some things to do in Huntsville that afternoon before we could resume our camping trip. One of those things was the privilege of praying with the staff at the Parker campaign headquarters that afternoon. What a dear blessing that was to my heart as we gathered in the copy room of the headquarters, closed the door, held hands, and took turns praying for the campaign, the Parkers, the staff, and all that involved. That prayer time was certainly a highlight of my weekend, and it is open to all who will join us at 4:00 p.m. on Friday afternoons. Please come and join us!

After we left the Parker headquarters, we headed back to Athens, where we swung by the house and picked up some towels, eggs, and a few things we'd forgotten. I kissed Johnny goodbye, and went by to pick up Hannah Beth's friend Natalie, who was going with us. That was such a blessing cause we used to do things we Natalie's family all the time, and through the past few years, our family's have gone in separate directions. What a blessing that we were able to be with old friends again. After picking up Natalie, we stopped at a gas station on the way, and the girls bought some worms for fishing and HB and I got our fishing license. I talked with Louise on my cell phone from the store. She was getting worried about us, and some more folks who weren't there yet. There had been an accident on Hwy 72, and she wanted to make sure we or the other folks weren't involved in it. She and Jerry had a fire waiting for us when we got there so the girls roasted hotdogs over the campfire, while I finished unloading the car. Louise roasted a hotdog (they were sort of the healthy ones:) for me and it sure tasted good after our busy afternoon.

By the time we finished eating it was getting dark. The girls decided they wanted to go fishing while the Dulcimer group was going to get together for a "jam," in the meeting room just across from where we were camping. I took my mandolin and joined Jerry, Roger, Grady and Janice, Homer, Louise, and a man named Jake who is 90 years old. He used to be some kind of engineer for NASA and worked on rockets. Since he retired and his wife died, he lives out of his camper and travels from dulcimer festival to dulcimer festival, singing and playing his guitar. Man, do I wish I could memorize the words to songs like he can...what a gift! I didn't see Jake a whole lot that weekend, but when I did, he was walking and looked as fit as can be. When I walked inside the meeting house, I knew that I was in trouble...it wreaked of the smell of mothballs. Though the windows were open, I eventually had to get up and leave...I didn't go too far though. I walked outside, and played along with the group standing outside by the window. I had my little headlight flashlight on that my husband had bought for me on some occasion and I was good to go. After we played awhile, it was bedtime for me and I was ready to hit the hay or actually my sleeping bag in the back of our Yukon. The girls were back at the camp, having made it back from fishing. They said there wasn't much biting in 3 inches of water but they had a great time talking on the bank while they fished. They had made an attempt at making some s'mores over the campfire before I got back, but the fire kept going out. I tried to revive it by stoking the coals, and getting some fresh wood, but it never did crank up for me. Unfortunately, the s'mores I promised Jerry at the jam never came to pass that night.

I'll be honest, I didn't sleep too that well that night in the car, I think the mothballs did me in...I just didn't feel right. The next morning, after we'd slept in a bit, Louise and I started cooking breakfast. Louise mixed up pancakes and cooked them inside the camper, and I cooked sausage and eggs outside on the electric grill. The girls took the pancakes Louise had made and put cherry pie filling and butter on them, rolled them up, and cooked them over the fire...yum, yum! We had a delicious breakfast that morning. After we finished cleaning up from breakfast it was nearly 11:30! The girls went on a bicycle ride, while Louise and I decided to take a walk. As I walked along the uneven ground beside the road, I could still feel the effects of the softball game a couple of weeks before in my hip joints...I told you that was a painful decision. We hiked over to the picnic area, along the river, and enjoyed the cool shade of the trees. She showed me a place on a large rock where she and Jerry had come and had a picnic before. In one of the large pavilions where we walked, is where our extended family had a family reunion a long time ago. As we were walking down the hiking trail, picking up walnuts, Hannah Beth called and said that she and Natalie were catching some bream and asked us to come over to where they were fishing. After walking down the hiking trail a little ways, we headed over to the little wooden bridge where Natalie and Hannah Beth were reeling in the fish...well, actually I think HB was catching the fish. She was baiting her own hook and taking her fish off the hook...without any assistance. I told you she does have the "feminine" gene so this was a real milestone for her. She even redid her own fishing line with a hook and bobber, after she broke her line...I'm really proud of you, HB! Natalie, you're a good influence on her:). After we watched them fish a little while longer, Louise and I walked back to our campsite and I rested a few minutes. When the girls got back from fishing, we all fixed sandwiches.
By this time, I wasn't feeling too hot...not sure if it was the mothballs the night before still bugging me or the smoke from the campfires, but I decided to take a break from the smoke, and head home a few hours. There was a gospel music singing that night on the grounds in front of Founder's Hall at the college, and I had been planning to go for weeks, before the camping trip came up. I wasn't sure if I would go or not since we were camping, but the smoke getting to me, made it an easier decision. I hated to leave the girls, but Jerry and Louise assured me they didn't mind keeping an eye on them, and the girls were happy to be going swimming, even though the water was cold. I made the journey home, visited with my guys who were watching Auburn play Tennessee on TV, saunaed, put some clothes in to wash, and ate some leftover chicken I had cooked the day before. I couldn't wait to get in the sauna. Thankfully, after sweating a while, eating supper, and vegging out in front of the computer a little while, the LORD renewed my strength and I headed to the singing on my way back to the campground. I still had a headache, but once I got there and sat on the bleachers beside our dear friend's the Wahl's, I got to feeling a lot better...that good singing, and that good night fresh air sure did perk me up. I was ready to go back and do battle with the campfires again. After New Ground (www.newgroundministries.com) sang, and they did such a good job, I went over and spoke with them a few minutes. They are from near Scottsboro and it was great to hear them again and see them in concert. I didn't linger long, and headed back down to the campground. I called Hannah Beth on the way, and she was playing her guitar "jamming" with the Dulcimer group. I sure was glad, even though most of them are old enough to be her grandparents, she enjoys playing with them and they are so sweet and kind to encourage her in her playing. Natalie was a great friend to sit around and listen to them. Jerry and Louise were so kind to be their "grandparents" for them while I was away and watch after them...well they actually were the whole weekend. By the time I got back to the campsite, it was almost bedtime. The girls were playing cards in chairs beside the campfire. I think they played a million games of "speed" and Natalie definitely came out on the winning side of that game.

That night after we'd all been asleep awhile, I woke up and had to go to the bathroom...ugh. Since I was sleeping in the back of our Yukon, I had to crawl over the back seat to let myself out. As I walked to the bathhouse, I spotted a skunk walking along the edge of the meetinghouse right where I had been standing and playing my mandolin the night before! I sure didn't want it to see me and run over and spray me (like it would run up to me unless it had rabies it might), so I eased back toward the car, and watched it walk around the building heading towards someone else's campsite. Don't know if ya'll remember, but the last time we camped at Joe Wheeler with my brother and niece, our campsite was sprayed in the middle of the night by a skunk. My brother had to take the dog, who got sprayed royally, home in the middle of the night and we had to change campsites the next morning it was so bad. So yes, I have a healthy respect for skunks...course leaving out hotdogs and shrimp against the camper, which I had done, didn't help our cause.
Once the skunk mosied on, I walked on to the bathhouse without any further ado. It took me a while to return to sleep and when I finally did, I slept until 8:00 a.m. We were planning to go to the worship service there in the meetinghouse at 8:30. I roused the girls and they got up and we got ready to go. Jerry and Louise had been up for a while. Funny thing is, no one showed up to lead the service, though the sign was out front, so we decided to have our own worship time around the campfire. We got our Bible's and another couple joined us, and whoever wanted to shared a Scripture and whatever the LORD laid on our hearts. It was really a sweet time as we went around the circle listening to each other share different verses...one lady shared out of Psalm 37 one of my favorite Psalms, about trusting in the LORD, committing our ways to HIM, delighting in HIM and HE would give us the desires of our hearts... Louise also shared out of Psalms. After we prayed, Jerry and Louise got out their dulcimer's, Hannah Beth her guitar, I got my mandolin and my notebook with the words cause I cannot remember words to songs...I'm pitiful when it comes to remembering the words unless I learned them as a child. Another dear lady from Jasper joined in playing with her dulcimer, and Roger Patterson came up and joined the circle with his dulcimer. We had such a sweet time of playing and singing hymns there around the campfire...what a special blessing from the LORD. We played songs like Amazing Grace, Wonderful Words of Life, Lord I'm Coming Home, As the Deer, and a bunch of other hymns that I can't remember right now...but I do remember what a sweet, sweet time of fellowship we had together around the campfire at Joe Wheeler.

After we finished singing and playing, I took off on a bike ride around the camp ground, and then out to the road that takes you to the lodge. As a road through the campground, I met a young father who was camping with his five kids ages 10 down to 3, and the Mom and 10 month old baby were at home. Talking to him was another Dad, Juan Carter who we went to school with, who was camping with his children, while their Mom was at home. I thought what a neat thing these Dad's were doing spending time with their kids, just as my Dad and Mom had done with us growing up...we camped as a family and what sweet times we had together. In fact, I felt a little guilty for not inviting my Mom and Dad to go with us on this camping trip. After I talked with those Dad's, I rode up and down some steep hills for these legs, but wow what a joy that I made it! I rode a pretty good little distance up by the golf course and saw the new cabins that had been built along side the river-man are they nice! Maybe we can have a family gathering there sometimes when they aren't so new anymore:)...I was really thankful the trip back wasn't as bad as I had dreaded. I knew I had coasted pretty much downhill to the new cabins, so the road back was uphill. Thankfully the LORD renewed my strength, and I made it back to the camp, a little out of breath, but in good shape...much better than when I tried to run to second base a couple of weeks before playing softball.

Back at the camp, everyone was still there sitting around talking, including the girls, who were playing cards. I think they must have really been tired from the day before...they hardly moved out of their chairs that day. After we enjoyed some of Louise's delicious taco salad she had served the night before, along with potato salad, and the girls grilled the last of the hotdogs, we had the best time sitting around talking and laughing at Jerry and Louise tell funny stories. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about GOD being our "Coach" and switching our positions on us sometimes...like when I had to go from the outfield to first base because I couldn't run in the outfield. Well, Jerry and Louise are an example of this and I thought about them when I wrote a couple of weeks ago. Jerry was the boys basketball coach at Athens High School for many years, and was a great coach, he is such an encourager. The boys went to the final four in the state playoffs twice while Jerry was coaching, and they had many successful seasons. While coaching there at the high school, Jerry developed diabetes, and was unable to continue coaching...so he and his wife Louise, who was also a teacher, decided to retire. GOD knew the blessing HE had in store for many other people through Jerry and Louise's lives when HE switched their position. Through a series of events, Jerry and Louise got introduced to the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer and the rest is history. They have been heading up, organizing and coordinating the events of the Athens Dulcimer group for the past 6 or 7 years and what a blessing they've been to so many of us. With the same passion Jerry had for coaching basketball, he and Louise have helped multitudes including myself learn to play the dulcimer. It doesn't take long to be around the both of them to experience the love that flows from their hearts to yours. When the LORD switched Jerry and Louise's position, it truly was a blessing for so many in our community and now all over the United States-Jerry and Louise have played for countless hospice patients, schools, nursing home patients, churches, and they organize functions so the rest of us can go along and play too. Just last night, we played for the Airstream Camping Club who is in town for the Fiddler's Convention this weekend. Just a couple of weeks ago, Jerry and Louise organized the making of a DVD by our dulcimer group so that beginning dulcimer players all over the country could hear some basic "fiddle" tunes and learn to strum along as we play...they plan to share those with folks all over the country. You can get yours here if you let me know! I sure am glad GOD switched their position, and they have the best attitudes anyone could ever have...they don't look back wishing things were the way they were...they're too busy living today, and thinking about how to bring joy to others lives.

After we had a great time of laughing and listening to stories, the girls did a great job of packing up their tent. HB got everything organized and loaded in the car. Miraculously, we managed to get everything in the car and return home. What a great time we had of camping and fellowshipping with our friends from the Athens Dulcimer Group, and especially Jerry and Louise who looked out after us and loved us like we were their own kids. Thank ya'll so much, Jerry and Louise for spoiling us all weekend.

That night, after we got home and got unloaded, the kids went to church, and I went to see the Crabb Revival, a southern gospel group, sort of, up at the college. What a weekend for southern gospel music it was in our town! I was tired, but I was so glad that I went. What a tremendous blessing that was and a story I could write about it all by itself. What blessed me the most was the testimony of Adam Crabb, the leader of the group, after GOD "switched his position" a year or so ago when their family group divided up. He shared of GOD's faithfulness in his weakness, his weakness to talk in front of others, his brother used to do most of the talking when they were all together, and be in that leadership position that he is in now. He shared how he suffered from depression during that time after his family separated into different groups to sing and how GOD had brought him through that difficult time. He shared GOD's faithfulness to provide a bus for them a couple of months ago after they had been traveling around in a truck pulling a trailer since their family group split. The "Crabb Revival" (www.crabbrevival.net) sang their hearts out, lifting up the LORD in their testimonies and singing, with such a humble spirit. Now I have to confess, I didn't really care for some of their hairdo's and their music can get a little "bumpy" at times for this old girl, but GOD has shown me that HE doesn't always work like I think that HE should...HE uses folks and music in different packages than what I think, for HIS honor and glory. I liked most of the music, couldn't help but like it when they kept lifting up how great JESUS is with their humble spirits...I really liked watching the drummer, he could play two drums and a few cymbals amazingly! At the end...they sang a "happy song," and a bunch of the folks were jumping up and down like I've seen them do at some of the contemporary CHRISTian concerts I've been to with the kids. I looked down my nose at that too when I first saw it a couple of years ago. Well, let me tell you, this old girl thought about jumping up and down to cause I was happy, happy that the LORD JESUS, loved me enough to let me enjoy all that I had enjoyed this past weekend. But, I decided it might be better not to jump since I was still recovering from my escapade on the softball field two weeks ago and didn't want to jar something looser than it already is. Besides, I am from the "frozen chosen" and it just wouldn't be right to be showing too much emotion praising the LORD...why what would the church folks say if they saw me jumping up and down like a jackrabbit? I have a confession to make, I did raise my hands some, though not too high, and when they encouraged us to dance, i sort of swayed from side to side, but I was jumping up and down on the inside Praising my LORD:).
It was a great weekend the LORD gave us and because of my affliction, my thorn in the flesh, times like this past weekend are just that much sweeter. GOD reminds me over and over what HE has done for me. I thank HIM for the affliction which has enriched my life so very much, and how I thank HIM and praise HIM for the energy and fun of easier times that I can enjoy so much more because of what HE has brought me through. I love you JESUS, thank YOU so much for your sweet sweet love for YOUR dear children, including me,and thank YOU for using my difficult times
to make the easier times that much more sweeter!

This week, I wanted to use part of a song that David wrote in Psalm 40:1-5 that shares my life,my heart, and most importantly, the sweetness of the love of JESUS for us. His testimony of praise is mine too...and I praise the LORD for HIS sweet love in my life. He brought me out of the slimy pit of sin and affliction, set my feet on a rock, the ROCK of JESUS CHRIST, and put a new song in my mouth...a hymn of Praise to my GOD!

"I waited patiently for the LORD;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our GOD.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD."

"Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust;
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, O Lord my GOD,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare."


To GOD be the glory for HIS goodness and sweetness in all of our lives...I love you and thanks so much for taking time to read my testimony of our GOD's sweet, sweet love to me and my family this past weekend. You are definitely a huge part of GOD's love to us...thank you for being such a dear blessing in our lives!

With all HIS love,
mitzi