1986 July/August issue Part 6

From My Journal

February 21, 1986, Autaugaville, Alabama. Beautiful guest cottage on the vast farm (cotton, pecans, hogs, cattle, etc.) of Buzz and Diane Wendland. Walt and Val (my daughter) and the four children are given another guest house. Lovely arrangement-all of us together, since Walt, Val, and I are speakers in the same conference.

  Walter (8) prayed last night as I was tucking him in, "Help Christiana (4) to have a sweet heart, and help Jim (22 months) to have an obedient heart, and thank you for Elisabeth (6)." (I'm quite sure I didn't think of my brothers as cause for thanskgiving when I was that age.) I asked Walter if he had read George MacDonald's At the Back of the North Wind. "Oh yes! It was so good- but I need to be more like Diamond. He was so kind."

  Tour of the farm. In the farrowing shed little Jim watched the birth of a piglet. "It came out!" was the awed comment. As we drove through Prattville he said, "Mama-Pettibone crane?" "Yes, Jim, Pettibone crane." Like his brother at that age, he has a thing about heavy equipment and has learned the make of some of them. Elisabeth picked out tunes on the grand piano in the Wendlands' living room. l asked if she could do "I Am So Glad That Our Father in Heaven." Never tried it before, but without hesitation she banged it out with verve and astonishing speed. Only four or five sour notes.

Christiana, directing an imaginary choir, unaware of an audience: "Well, if y'all don't want to sing, you can just go home." No use talking to her during one of her performances-she isn't available.

  During one of the meetings Christiana and Jim went to the nursery. It was full that evening-twenty-four children, one adult and one teenager to "sit" them. The sitters were in the room with the infants while the toddlers played in the adjoining room. Christiana appears in the doorway of the infants' room. "Y'all better get in there and watch those kids because I have to go to the bathroom." A take-charge person.

  Lord, for each of these little children I pray: equip them thoroughly for the doing of Your will; effect in them everything that pleases You through Jesus Christ. (This is the prayer of the writer to the Hebrews, chapter 13:20, 21, J.B. Phillips' translation)