Tribute to Davy from David Riddell

Hey Friends,

Odie here reporting again from Kettering Hospital. Thank you for your continued prayers! 

Sunday morning I had a rough spell. I opted to stay in the hospital one more night. Now the plan is to go home on Monday. Thankfully I have not had anymore spells. The staff here has taken great care of me. 

Today I have something special to share with you. One of our dearest friends David Riddell shared this heartfelt tribute to my Dad online. It so moved mom and I, and we are sharing it here with David’s permission.

Please read the great words listed below. 

Odie

Tribute to Davy from David Riddell 

He was my longest best friend. We were 17/16 years old when we met, and we became immediate best friends. Cousins that somehow had not met until then, but it was a God thing. We held our first revival together at the Stubbs Mill church; he preached one night and I the next. Even though we were young and competitive by nature, ministry was never competitive between us. We were teammates. We studied together, prayed together, and in those days, you rarely saw one without the other. We just had that brotherly connection, where we even thought alike. I'll never forget when I found the most awesome-looking green pants at Kaufman's in Lebanon, and I walked into church that night thinking that I was looking good only to find him wearing the same pants. Someone asked us that night if those pants came with a dimmer switch.

When he was blessed to find Kelly, I became the most loved third wheel in all of history. She was never my best friend's wife; she just became my best friend too. And when Odie came along, she just became my little sister, since they both were helping raise me.

He had a faith that I always admired, probably because I didn't personally have it. I fell away from God in my early 20's, and it was in his study, where I was spewing my newfound religion of secular humanism and psychological babble, where he simply said, David, God is married to the backslider.

 Those simple words from my dear friend, anointed by the Holy Ghost, broke me completely. Before I even knew what I was doing, I had fallen on my knees and was sobbing, begging

for God to forgive me, and He did. There's only one other human who knew how truly frail and weak I am because he became my most trusted confessor. He never cut me any slack; that's why I went to him, but he always spoke to me with love. I will miss that. The last time I was with him, he said, "Man David, you don't need anyone to beat you; you have that covered yourself."

I hate how the cruelty of life separated us after our youth, but I always knew that you were there, but this cruel death is almost unbearable. I never expected him to outrun me to the gates of Heaven, never expected that he would see my daddy again before me, never expected to have to live in a world without you in it, but here we are, me still down here, you over there, my heart broken, yours full of joy, my eyes unable to stop weeping, yours never to shed another tear. I never expected, but l probably should have; you were always the better man. You deserved a better friend in me, and I never had a better friend in you.

Goodbye my dear friend, what time I have left, you will never be forgotten, never be unloved, and your impact on my life never unfelt.

 David Riddell

Gods Glory and Handiwork On Display

Hey Friends,

This is Odie checking in on this first Saturday of the month. I am thrilled you stopped by to visit today. 

Here is a friendly reminder that may make your day better. For most of us, our clocks fall back by one hour! Tonight is a wonderful night for those of us who value our sleep. I plan to enjoy every possible second of sleep tonight!

Can you believe the Holiday season is approaching? 2024 is speeding by in a flash. November causes my mind to turn to Thanksgiving. 

I have often said I strive to be thankful on a daily basis. November’s Thanksgiving season is an extra reminder to be thankful for all things. 

Today, I am thankful for the magnificent creation. God created too many amazing things to name them all. 

 

I love looking up at the sky. The beauty of the skies baffles my little human mind. I enjoy seeing the world from 30,000 feet in the air. 

On a recent flight, I was reminded of the awesomeness of our creator God! I was humbled that I get to experience His magnificent creation. I snapped this picture while flying above the clouds. 

The photograph reminded me of a verse of scripture. Psalm 19:1 says it like this. 

“The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork.”

I love seeing the Heavens declare His handiwork! Each flight I take I am left in awe of God! It is hard for me to believe people can doubt that God is real. Sights like the one above amaze me. I hope you enjoy the beauty too!

God, thank you for allowing me to experience and explore your world! I am thankful to be a tiny part of it!

Thank you for reading! See you next time.

Odie

A Year of Contrasts

The last ten months have been quite a ride. It was ten months Tuesday since I suffered a brainstem stroke as my brother and I were loading the bus so we could leave for our first revival of 2024. 

December 29, 2023 to October 29, 2024.

It has been a year of contrasts.

There are moments when it seems like years have passed since the moment of the stroke. 

Most of the time it seems like it was yesterday.

The last ten months have been the most physically challenging I have ever experienced. 

But each week has been spiritually new and God's presence has been so near every step.

KJo and I have felt alone some days like we were adrift through the far reaches of the universe. 

Yet we have never been more loved by people and churches in our entire lives. There have been other challenging times when we were much more alone in our despair, but not this year. We have been encouraged, uplifted and physically and spiritually carried undeniably and miraculously.

For eight solid months I was completely content to be at home, preaching weekends and concentrating on healing (Those of you who know me, know that is a miracle)

We have been on the road preaching revivals for two months and it has simultaneously been the most difficult thing I have ever done and the most joyous thing I have ever experienced.

Each time I stand to preach I know that I am going to expend 100% of my stored energy and I am going to feel like mud when I am finished.

But I know I am about to step into God's presence and the joy of being an instrument of revival in a church and in someone's life will be more than worth the physical revenge my body will extract from me.

And the year of contrasts goes on and on, but you get the idea. The path has been challenging, but God has blessed it all. I can live with that.

Thank you for stopping in.

Davy

Another Year Living In The Goodness Of God

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in from Oklahoma again this week. I have so enjoyed being with many wonderful friends.

This weekend, we are singing at the fellowship meeting at Bethany Holiness Church. It is always a pleasure to be with Pastor Darrell Toliver and the Bethany church family!

Monday marked the beginning of another year in my life. My family and friends overwhelmed me with love and kindness and made my birthday extra special. My birthday was definitely a happy one in 2024. 

The Lord has abundantly blessed me. For the last couple of years, my testimony song has been The Goodness of God. I have lived the words of this song all of my life. Every time I hear this song, it moves me to tears, thinking of the bountiful blessings that God has poured out upon my life. I would not be here without His goodness to me!

I have featured the song Goodness Of God in a previous post. My favorite group, The Isaacs, recently released the song too. Now I have a new favorite version! Today was a great day to feature The Isaacs singing my testimony.

Goodness Of God is available now, and a full worship project from the Isaacs releases next week. I am so excited to have new music from the Isaacs!

I hope you enjoyed the song too! My prayer is for all of us to remember God’s amazing goodness in our lives! Let us pause for a moment and praise God one more time!

Thanks for joining me today! I will see you next time. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Odie

Remembering 9/11

I am posting this in memory of September 11, 2001. I wrote this last year as a compilation of tributes I have written over a number of years. I think it is still appropriate today, 

This will be the first post today and there will be a second post at noon with pictures from the camp meeting last night.

Remembering 9/11

Nearly 3000 people died on American soil on September 11, 2001 because religious nuts hated America, hated capitalism, hated our system of government, hated anyone that did not serve their god and tried their best to destroy us.
 
It must be said loudly that most followers of that same religion did not, do not want to kill Americans or destroy Americans. But it must be said just as loudly that these men killed Americans in the name of their religion.
 
3000 lives ended in a moment. 23 years later and people are still grieving, still hurting, still crying and still trying to live on. 
 
Many in the world would like us to forget.
 
Many in the press would like for us to forget.
 
Many in the government would like for us to forget.
 
But we must never forget.
 
Families were forever changed and scarred. 
 
Parents lost children. 

Children lost parents.
 
Spouses lost companions. 
 
Friends were separated forever. 
 
Many businesses lost key employees. 
 
New York City Fire Department lost 343 firefighters. 
 
New York City Police Department lost 23 officers. 
 
New York City Port Authority lost 37 officers. 
 
Over 3200 children lost at least one parent.
 
How could we ever forget?
 
We must never forget. We must never omit the details. We must never sidestep the truth to avoid hurting a snowflake's feelings. Those 19 hijackers and the men who sent them did not care for the feelings of thousands they hoped to kill.
 
We must know. We must learn. We must remember. We must care. We must remain vigilant. We must never forget.
 
September 11, 2001 made me want to pull people I love closer and let them know how much I care for them. It still does. Nearly 3000 people lost their lives in NYC, Washington DC and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The more I read the stories of victims and survivors and heroes, the more I value life at its very core.
 
Life is valuable. Life is fleeting. Life is too short to waste on ourselves. God help me to remember.
 
We visited the 9/11 Museum and Memorial in August 2014 and 2016. These two visits had a sobering impact on our family. We were seeing many of the film clips and pictures for the very first time. I have described it as an emotional punch in the gut.
 
The hours we spent there were some of the most sobering, severe and significant hours in my life. It is a place that haunts not only my sleep, but often even my waking hours. It may seem cliche but I assure you it is not, 9/11 changed our lives forever, even those of us that were thousands of miles removed from the destruction.
 
In the museum, I came to the slow realization that we are not talking about a group of 3000 random people being tragically killed, which is heartbreaking in itself, but we are talking about 3000 individuals, all with families, hopes, dreams, ambitions and plans.
 
The personal cost, the personal hurta nd the personal tragedies are completely overwhelming when standing on their own. To hear their voices, to see their pictures, to watch video clips of them with their families, to hear their loved ones talk about them is powerfully poignant. When you put it all together in one event and attempt to add up all the loss of real, living, breathing humanity, it is unfathomable!
 
Consider just one personal story we learned there. It is the story of Captain Terrance S. Hatton the commander of Rescue 1 in Manhattan. Captain Terry Hatton was killed in the north tower when it fell. 
 
His wife, Beth Petrone Hatton was the Executive Assistant to Mayor Rudy Giuliani. She was standing on the steps of City Hall as the World Trade Center collapsed. She knew exactly where her husband was at that moment.
 
Captain Hatton was a man of duty. He was 41 years old and had served the NYFD for 21 years. In those 21 years he had earned 19 medals for bravery including the highest award in the city, the Medal of Honor. He was considered by those who served with him as one of the best.
 
Beth Petrone knew all that. She knew her honorable husband would be on the highest accessible floor conducting rescue operations. That was his job and he did it well.
 
As she watched the tower fall, she instantly knew he was dead. The dust engulfed City Hall and Beth found herself holding handfuls of the debris thinking she was somehow holding her husband.
 
They found Captain Terry Hatton's remains two weeks later and buried him in the fashion of the hero he was. By then, Beth Petrone Hatton had learned she was expecting their first child.
 
Terri Elizabeth Hatton was born in May of 2002. She is a beautiful young lady now and she will never know her heroic father except for stories. He will never hold her. He will never tuck her into bed. He will never read to her. He will never walk her down the aisle. He is gone. Beth lost her husband and little Terri lost her Daddy, simply because he went to work that morning.

That is the story of only one man that died and it does not even include the hurt of his parents, his siblings, his other relatives, his friends or the men he worked with and all the rest he left behind.

Multiply that one story by 3000 plus stories and you have not even begun to scratch the surface of why we should never forget!

Maybe you will enjoy your family today. Maybe you will go to church and worship. Maybe you must concentrate today on walking through your own personal hardships or even tragedy. Wherever you are and whatever stage in life you are in, please take a moment to think about all that were lost on September 11, 2001. 

Take a moment to remember. Take a moment to consider what might have been. Take a moment to pray for Terri Elizabeth Hatton and many, many of thousands of others that are moving forward and trying to overcome each day.

I believe we owe them that much.

Thank you.

Davy Boggs

The Great Experiment- Interesting Initial Information

I have been hearing from a few of you each day wondering how my body and mind are handling our first revival on the road since the brainstem stroke at the end of December. I do not blame you for your curiosity, I am a little curious too.

Actually, I am a lot curious. As I have explained before, this whole thing is about getting into our regular routine for a couple of months and discovering the result.

With that said, it is too early to tell the final result, but this is some interesting initial information. Week by week we aim to assess our progress and look for clues. I am not sure whether I am Sherlock or Shaggy, but I am looking for clues at the scene of the crime. 

Number one, the long trip here took a toll on me, as we knew it probably would. We drove it over three days and I am sure that helped. I am very thankful we did not begin revival the next morning. Sometimes I get things right. 

We will continue to plan shorter travel days and a day or more of rest after travel. Hopefully and prayerfully I will improve in that aspect. 

Next, is my endurance preaching several services strung together and being social and taking care of the bus and my family. Thankfully, the services have been great and the bus has required little attention so I have been able to enjoy the preaching without much strain of daytime activity.

Not all weeks will be like that, so I am going to enjoy every week that is. By God’s grace, we will continue to expect great revivals, low levels of trouble and time to rest. 

I have been spent physically at the end of each night and that is what we expected. I surmise that will also improve some along the way. We will continue to build in rest until we get there. 

I have experienced trouble in one area that we did not foresee. All three of us have fall allergies that normally come on strong in late August and this year they came with a vengeance. However, my voice responded in a way it never has before. 

Normally, during even horrible allergy season, I will have some weakness in my voice but I can warm it up during the day and be very close to full strength each night. This week, my voice has been rough enough to be unpleasant to the ear. 

Perhaps my vocal cords being partially numb on the right side has caused this. It may be that my voice will respond to allergies in a completely different way than they have in the past because of this. I will run that by my speech therapists when we return home.

Thankfully, my voice was stronger during the preaching the final night. Praise God! Three days without singing and preaching should help it.

We are purposely resting Thursday and Friday, traveling less than 90 minutes Saturday and then taking part in an outdoor camp meeting all next week. I am supposed to preach on Sunday night but only help with singing and worship the rest of the nights.

Kelly Jo has taken so much on her plate to help me to be able to do this. I could not do it without her. We also had help getting sound equipment in place and back into the bus and that is a huge relief to both of us. 

Thank you very much for praying for us during this adventure in revivals. As I said, it remains to be seen what the final results will bring, but the way the Lord has helped people this week really makes every effort worthwhile. That is most certainly Interesting Initial Information.

May God bless you, friends. 

Davy 

An Important Mile Marker Along The Road!

I think it is understood by most of our readers that we love to celebrate milestones as we pass them. The celebration does not often include cake and ice cream but we like to put a check by the Mile Marker and acknowledge how far we have traveled down the road.

This year we have passed a few special ones but missed acknowledging them because the current times were pretty intense. Today, we want to add a big checkmark by one of them.

We have no cake and ice cream today but it is special to us.

The end of April marked 22 years and 4 months of evangelism for us on this current round of fulltime evangelism. That seems pretty random until I give you this fact. In the early 90s, we worked 2 years and 8 months in fulltime evangelism. Add these two numbers together and it adds up to 25 years of fulltime evangelism.

I preached my first sermon 41 years ago last month and I preached a bunch of revivals while I was also working public jobs, but making our way for 25 years solely as evangelists is a big Mile Marker for us. Some great families have traveled many more years preaching revivals than us but we are thankful for what the Lord has done for us.

We are incredibly thankful for every Pastor who has invited us and every church that has received us. We feel privileged to be permitted by God's people to try to be instruments of revival in their churches, communities and lives. It is an honor that we do not take lightly.

Our churches in the USA and in other parts of the world have opened their arms to us and treated us like family members they love to see pull in the driveway. Thank you, dear friends.

Kelly Jo and I have had a good number of very serious conversations about our lives and our future over the last 8 months and we are in complete agreement. We would gladly do all of this again. We have no complaints and no regrets. 

I have wept each time as KJo has said to me. "We have lived a wonderful life as we have traveled and preached. We have enjoyed amazing experiences and been a lot of places. IF it ever becomes clear that we can not continue to do it the same as before, we know we have done our best while we were able."

That puts it into perspective for me. Wow! What a ride! Thank you for joining us today. We hope to be singing and preaching at a church near you soon.

Davy

4,300,000 Views!

I recently noticed that we have passed the 4 million page view mark on Mile Markers. In fact, today we are at 4,300,000 page views. In the grand scheme of things that is minuscule for nearly 15 years. Drudge had 24,000,000 views yesterday. So he had as many views in six hours as we have since November 2009. 

😊

But for us, that is not too shabby. I have often wondered if the numbers are accurate, but we have over 5200 published Mile Markers. That is only about 825 views per post, so that number seems reasonable. There were days when thousands of people came and days when almost no one came.

That works for us. We are not producing content that will attract the masses. We are writing for family, friends and people we meet in churches along the way. Mile Markers also serve as a journal and travelogue for us. 

Nearly weekly we receive emails from companies OR scammers who "absolutely love" our content here and on YouTube and "want to help us expand our audience and reach our full potential." They can "show us how to gain followers and make the money we deserve."

Their first two sentences are a dead giveaway that they have not read or watched any of our content. Our material does not appeal to most folks and probably never will. If the "experts" emailing us watched and read us, they would know that.

Would it be nice to make some money on something that we spend many hours doing? Sure, but it is not happening and we do not expect it to happen.

This is Mile Marker 5209 and we have never made a penny from Blogger. I am not averse to allowing Google to place ads here but I have never seriously considered it. 

We have 385 videos on YouTube since March 2020 and our channel is monetized. They are going to advertise no matter what so we might as well make a small slice. We have made a whopping $137 for many, many hours of work contributed.

I imagine we are about due another big check. They will not send it until they owe you at least $100. I have no idea what we will purchase with the next check.

We do these things because we enjoy them. Typing is not as easy this year and that may have affected my output, but we are gonna keep pressing on by God's grace.

We appreciate you being part of 4.3 three million Mile Marker page views and 20,000 watch time hours on YouTube, Thank you all for stopping in regularly. It is always very nice to hear from you.

Davy

I Really Do Not Have Any BAD Problems

Note: There will be two posts tomorrow. The first at 6:00 AM with A Word For Wednesday and a second post later in the morning with pictures from Tuesday night of Dryden Rd.

Since Sunday I have been weeping over the situations some of my friends are facing. I thank God for a burden to weep and pray but I have felt so helpless.

We have dear friends who are struggling mightily under the load of sick parents and others carrying the heavy load of sick children. 

We have friends that are grieving over wayward children and grandchildren. Their hearts are wounded and dreams for their families seem poised to be washed away by the tide

We have more than a few friends in the prime of very productive lives and ministries facing uncertain futures because of health problems out of their control.

Without divine intervention, Sis. Tammy Harris is about to slip into eternity. Bro Alan Harris is about to lose his wife after praying and hoping for nearly two months since a horrible car accident.

 

Bro. Tim Hudson, a great preacher and tremendous man of God, has been fighting cancer in his vocal cords. After many treatments, the swelling and pain have returned. If the cancer is still there, the Doctor is telling him the best option could be to have his voice box removed. This mighty preacher needs a miracle.

And the list of heartache and pain of people we love goes on and on😩😩

My tears that have been flowing the last 48 hours seem ineffective except for two things. 

1. God understands my tears and He knows what those groanings mean when I make no sense. God will remember our heartaches and griefs and will not forget them. David was confident in the midst of his trouble that God remembered his tears and I am too.

2. The tears have brought me to a firm conclusion. The conclusion is this: 

I really do not have any BAD problems. I have thought I was climbing mountains, but there are saints around me that are fighting for their very lives. I have inconveniences in comparison to the sufferings of my friends. 🫣🫣

I am not trying to spread guilt to those of us that feel we really need help. There is no shame in asking for help in our own problems. We are encouraged to pray fervently when we are in trouble ourselves. I will keep doing that.

But I have been freshly awakened to the fact that my friends, my brothers and sisters are suffering in ways I can barely even comprehend. I am determined, as much as possible, to help carry the load of others who are facing difficulties in life far greater than I can ever imagine.

I really do not have any BAD problems. God help my friends!🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

Thank you for reading.

Davy

God Is Always Good

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in for a Saturday post. Thanks for stopping by to visit with me.

Two weeks ago, I was getting ready for bed in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Then, my phone began lighting up with texts from several people. Sleep was nearly impossible for me that night.

The texts all had a picture of a post from Gaither Music. I had to read the press release from Gaither Music a few times to really take in the news. You have most likely seen the news as well. It has been everywhere.

A plane crash earlier on Friday, July 26th, claimed the lives of seven individuals. Three of the seven individuals were Kelly Nelon Clark, Jason Clark and their oldest daughter Amber Nelon Kistler, who made up 3/4ths of the Nelons. The Nelons have been a household name for Southern gospel fans for many decades.

Kelly and Jason left behind their younger daughter, Autumn Nelon Streetman, her husband, Jamie, and their baby son, who is due later this year. The Streetmans were on a commercial flight from Nashville to Seattle, from what I read. Autumn has been on my heart! I can not begin to imagine all that she is going through!

The Nelons were headed to Seatle to board a Gaither cruise to Alaska. Amber's husband, Nathan Kistler, Melodi Hodges, Nelon's assistant, and pilot Larry and Melissa Haynie were other people involved. My heart hurts for everyone connected to these families!

Although I did not know the Nelons personally, I did meet them in passing at a Gaither concert. I could not find those pictures in the blog archives. 

Two weeks later, it still seems like an awful nightmare. I have heard, read, and watched many tributes and memorial services for them in the last two weeks. I know the loved ones left here want to wake up from their own nightmare. I am sure it is even worse for their families and countless friends. 

This horrific event has left a hole in the hearts of many people. Please join me in praying for everyone hurting due to this tragedy! They will need many prayers to get through many days ahead of them!

Last week, I went back to a great 2015 solo project released by Amber. I love her album called Just Sing. You can find it on Apple Music. Amber was an incredible singer! I will miss her voice!

While listening to Amber sing, I was reminded of a song with a powerful message. It is titled God Is Always Good. I decided to share it with you today.

We will never understand why this tragedy happened. No one has to know the reason. One thing I know without a doubt is listed in this chorus.

God is always good God is always good

Always was always is forever He will be

God Is always good to you and me.

Take time to soak in these lyrics and listen to Amber Nelon Kistler's sweet voice. According to information on Apple Music, Chad Cates and Marty Funderburk penned this song. The video and lyrics are listed at the end of this post.

We all face uncertainty in life, and many of us battle it daily! Right now, the world is crazy! How can we survive without being overwhelmed? Thank God, we can rest in the fact that God is Always Good. That does not mean life will not have ups and downs. God is still faithful to you and me! God is in control!

Hope to meet up with you again! Please join me next time.

Odie

God Is Always Good

Verse 1

I don't know why I don't know when

I don't know how you'll make it through

But I know Him

And He is God and He is kind

Sometimes it's in the darkest night we find

Chorus

God is always good God is always good

Always was always is forever He will be

God Is always good to you and me

Verse 2

He knows your hurt your broken heart

He knows everything that led to where you are

And He'll provide all you need

So rest in His unfailing love and see

Chorus

God is always good God is always good

Always was always is forever He will be

God Is always good to you and me

The Process Continues In Our Lives

Here’s a picture of the inside of my elbow at 19 weeks since the stroke. 

For comparison, here is a picture of that same elbow two weeks after the stroke.

All of that blood and bruising came from the first day of the stroke so it dates back to day one. For background information let me refer you back to these two post here and here.

The process of healing has been long and it sure seems slow to me, but the professionals who have treated me have constantly reminded me recovering from a brainstem stroke is a slow and painstaking process.

When I look into the mirror, I look like I am back to my old self. I look like me, I talk like me and I almost walk like me, but for some reason I’m not quite me yet.

And the medical professionals remind me over and over, along with that little voice in my head that I try to ignore, that the reason for the delay is it takes time to heal. 

I am ready to push. I am ready to run. I am ready to go. I am ready to sing. I am ready to preach. I am ready to load in equipment. I am ready to drive the bus. I am ready to see results.

But my brain stem needs more time. And if you read the links I listed above, you will find that I already know that. You will find that in my heart I believe that. Yes, I am a strong proponent of instantaneous miraculous healing, but sometimes healing is a process.

It has taken 19 weeks for the inside of my elbow to reach the place it is and it still has some discoloration. That means there’s still some old blood under the skin that is not dissipated yet, but time is passing, the process that God created in my body is working and it is healing. 

The brainstem is going through the same process, but the fact is I cannot see it. Therefore, we pray for the instantaneous touch. We believe for a miracle. We trust in the power of God to work now. And we wait for the process to run its course and bring me to completion.

In my case, there is a small little spot in my brain stem that is never coming back without a miracle, there is no process for it to revive. However the brain can build pathways around it and it often does. Those can come miraculously or they can take time. 

Meanwhile, along the way, I see small improvements and I rejoice in each one. Hallelujah! I give God glory in each small victory! He deserves the praise, because he created my body to heal.

The truth is you are waiting too. We know that is true. There are circumstances that you would change now. There are situations that you would solve now. You are facing dilemmas of life that you would have miracles in right now.

And perhaps that is the way God will do it. I pray that your miracle comes today. But if it does not, we wait for the process to run its course and for God to bring us to completion.

So, we pray, believe, live our lives and wait together.

Thank you for joining us today.

Davy

Wow! We Are Overwhelmed By Kindness!

Less than two weeks ago we came face-to-face with another example of extreme kindness being shown to our family by people who do not even personally know us. There have been other examples, but this one has been knocking on my heart's door for the last few days.

My word for Wednesday yesterday was entitled Distributing Joy On Purpose/I Want To Be A Brother Like That. The week before was Try A Little kindness. 

They were not recorded on successive weeks, however they ended up being posted one week after the other. I guess it is appropriate that they fall on weeks when we were inundated with examples of kindness and joy being shown to us. 

I will put the links to those two videos at the end of this Mile Marker. If you have not seen them I would love for you to take a few moments to view them.

Now, let me explain this handful of kindness and dose of joy that we were given recently. 

The first Sunday night in April, we preached for Pastor Kenny Morris in Ellisville, Mississippi. We had a wonderful service, great response at the altar and sweet fellowship with our dear friends.

Immediately following service I was sitting on the front pew. A man that I did not recognize approached me and handed me an ink pen. He said this is a pen with the information of my home church. The church is just south of town.

He said we have been praying for you as a church and individually since the moment we heard you had a stroke. He said, we have taken your situation very seriously at our church and when we heard you would be here preaching we purposed to be here to see the work that the Lord was doing.

I do not know if they have been to hear us in revivals at Ellisville before, they may have. We have been going there for many years. 

But the fact that these people are not personally acquainted with us yet have taken us and our situation very seriously, moves our hearts deeply. Friendship Baptist Church in Ellisville Mississippi has purposely prayed for us and we have been blessed abundantly by it.

This situation has been and is right now being repeated over and over and we are touched by the kindness these people have shown to us. Perhaps you are reading this page right now and you fall into this category. 

I am taking a moment today to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

We appreciate you being concerned for us so much that you have prayed for us, encouraged us and sustained us in this difficult season. May God bless you for the blessing you are being to us right now. 

God is using his people all over the country to lift us up when we have not been able to see the end of this situation. I know that God has this in control. You have proven it to me.

Thank you for reading today. These are the links to A Word For Wednesday. 

Davy

10 Years of Vision And Praise

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in from the homefront. I hope you are having a great week.

Today, I am here with extra praise in my heart. This week is a special anniversary in my life. 10 years ago, my life drastically changed for a period of time. Faithful and long time readers can probably recite my testimony for me. I feel the need to praise God one more time.

In April 2014, in Salem, Kentucky, I woke up blind in my left eye.

I described it as a black smudge over my eye. This came on with little warning and with no apparent reason.

9 days, I lived with questions, worry, fear and very few answers. God was faithful to me through it all! The family of God rallied around us. Thousands of prayers were prayed for me and my family! God heard and answered those prayers! 

The Lord taught me a lot about trusting, waiting and faith during my eye issues. Doctors tried to help me with treatments and answers. I am so grateful for the help from my family, friends and medical professionals. It was God who was there, preparing the way and leading each step.

At the end of the 9th day, my vision did not just suddenly come back. But the healing began! I could make out things on the eye chart. It was blurry, but earlier in the day, it was not possible. My heart overflowed with joy that April 2014 day and the vision progressively improved! God deserves all the praise! 

Each day, when I wake up with clear vision in both eyes, there is praise in my heart! 10 years and my praise has not stopped! I know my help came from God in April of 2014. Today, He is still my helper! He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Is life overran with questions? Does your question seem just out of sight or reach? Friend, I know exactly where you are standing! It is not an easy or fun place to be! 

I encourage you to place everything into God's hands one more time. Please let Him have your troubles, heartaches, fears, questions and doubts! His hands are big enough to hold all of our junk, and His arm can still wrap you and me in His loving embrace. God is waiting for all of us at this very moment.

I will be praying for you! I hope you have the best day in a long time! May God bless you is my prayer!

Odie

Memories Old And New

Quick Note From Davy:

By God's grace I will be preaching at our home church, Dryden Rd Pentecostal Church in Moraine, Ohio Sunday morning. This will be my first time preaching since the stroke over 11 weeks ago. I need God to lift me above my limitations. Please pray for me.

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in for another Saturday post. I hope you are doing well. Thank God for helping us through each day past and ahead. My family is blessed, and I am grateful!

Last week, I had a childhood memory play over in my mind. I was taken back to my 8 year old self. We were living in a ground floor apartment in Franklin, Ohio. 

Dad and I were home doing one of our favorite pastimes, listening to CDs. We had the Hemphills playing. Candy Hemphill Christmas came on singing Master Of The Wind. Dad and I sat in his old orange recliner, listening to this beautiful song.

In the mid-90s, I had not yet learned to savor a song's lyrics or apply them to my life. My Dad soaked in the words. His tears came, and soon, the Holy Ghost had settled into our little home. 

I did not know the storm my Dad was facing right then, but I am thankful God was there to comfort Dad! God let Dad know He was there with him! 

I did recognize the special visitation of the spirit of God on my Dad! At that moment, I experienced the splashover from Dad's special blessing. That has been a moment Dad and I will forever cherish! Master Of The Wind is one of our favorite songs of all time.

That night, I learned a valuable lesson, God can show up wherever you need him! Life changing moments can happen anywhere! I am so thankful that I had that time with my Dad!

Since then,  many song lyrics have helped me through life more times than I can count. Tears flow as their messages wash over my soul, and I stop in my tracks to throw up my hands to worship God.

Last Week, Dad worked with Mom on vocal therapy. We got to sing as a family again. My heart was so full, thanking God that Dad's voice is gaining strength. We are still praying for a full recovery!

Then Dad started singing Master of the Wind. I could not keep the emotions from getting me as he sang this chorus.

I know the Master of the wind

I know the maker of the rain

He can calm the storm 

Make the sun shine again 

I know the Master of the wind

We have been living the words from the song. I felt the same spirit of God that I felt at 8 years old. 30 years later, I settled over my family. This time, it was in my home, gathered around my keyboard. God had been so good to us! He has kept us together and given us a reason to sing and rejoice.

Today, we are all facing some type of storm. Remember, He is the Master of The Wind in my life and yours. The next step may be unknown, and the rain may be blinding, or the clouds may block the sun! He is right there with us even today!

Let me close with an updated version of Master of The Wind. The fabulous Becky Isaacs Bowman recorded this song on her solo project. She is joined by a special guest, Candy Christmas.

Thanks for joining me. I enjoy our visits each weekend. See you next week.

Odie

Plan Wisely and Hold On Loosely - Part One

If you know me well at all, you know I am a planner. I live and die by the plan. I like to know when, where, what and sometimes why. 

The plan is not sacred to me. It is not totally unchangeable. I am willing to adjust the plan, tweak the plan or even pause the plan. However, I must begin with a plan and keep some variation of a plan in motion, if possible.

Scrapping our well made and thought out plan for months at a time is obviously challenging for me. I imagine that some of you understand that well.

We had planned to be in Mississippi this week, then Alabama, then Georgia, then Virginia, then three weeks in West Virginia and then nearly two months in Virginia.

We were looking forward to camp meetings, revivals, Easter sunrise service, Homecoming revivals and generally experiencing great fellowship and wonderful services. 

Obviously, this current health crisis postponed my plan. An interruption like this would normally cause quite a bit of disturbance for me emotionally. 

However, I have mentioned before, that the Lord has enveloped me with beautiful peace and contentment during this time. I am extremely thankful for the Lord’s specific help in this. 

That does not mean that I am not antsy to go, I am sitting on go right now. But I am not descending into despair over my carefully made plans being indefinitely delayed. The Lord gets all the credit for that. I would fall apart on my own, no doubt.

Therefore, since the original plan has taken a detour, the planner in me has been percolating a new plan. It is not a solid plan, in fact, it is a plan I am purposely holding onto very loosely. I am pretty happy with myself for that.😇

First of all, I have no firm idea when I can implement my new plan or when I will return to weekly revivals all over the US. I am determined to take time to heal and the pastors I have spoken to on my schedule are supportive of that.

I am trying to Plan Wisely and Hold On Loosely! I will tell you more about the current plan on Tuesday by His grace. Today the plan is to go to therapy. Thank you for being here today.

Davy

19 Years of Praise

Hey Friends,

This is Odie checking in for this first Saturday of March. I hope you are doing well today. I am doing good myself. God has been so faithful to me. I am feeling extra blessed today!

This week, 19 years ago, was one of the roughest weeks of my life. I have been reminiscing and praising God one more time. My parents were my rock, and they nursed and guided me. It was rough on them as well!

Our family and friends from all over prayed and helped us tremendously during this scary time. Pastor Philip Deane and the church family Beams of Light Church, in Cantonment, stood beside us. That is when Bro. Philip became our Dr. Phil. Thank you one more time from the bottom of my heart!

Testimony Time

At the end of February 2005, we found ourselves in a wonderful revival near Pensacola, Florida. I was severely sick. I had been sick off and on for weeks. Late on a Friday night, we rushed to the emergency room. I was at my ropes end. We were looking for answers to the reoccurring sickness. I will never forget the 5 hours of misery as we waited in the waiting room before I was called back.

We were hoping for answers and quick treatments to make me better. There was no way of knowing the extent of what the doctors would find. One report from the surgeon sent me down a road I never expected to walk.

The unknown was frightening! I was 19 years old, and that was the first crisis that I had faced. I truly learned to lean heavily on God during my week in the hospital.

During the hospital stay, it was easy to feel like we were drowning in the unknown. Dad would get in my ear and tell me, Baby, this water is over our head and I do not know where the bottom is. But he kept assuring me that we would touch the bottom. 

No matter the outcome, God was with us and we would eventually find the bottom of this deep spot and walk out onto solid ground. 

On March 1st, I had surgery to remove an ugly tumor and some organs that were affected by the tumor. I was terrified of surgery and what the doctors would find! 

I am thrilled to report that God was faithful to me. Surgery was successful, and no cancer was found! When I received the good news late on surgery day, all I could do was cry and raise my hand in praise. I knew the bottom was within reach. 

I look back on this period of time and see God's faithfulness. He worked a series of miracles and brought me through. God turned my test into a testimony and taught me to trust Him. I praise God with every fiber of my being! He is the reason I can share this testimony today.

19 years later, 2024 already has had its own challenges and unknowns. This time around, I have reminded Dad I do not know where the bottom is now. I do know without a doubt that we will touch the bottom and walk out of this deep water. No matter the outcome, God is right here with us!

Already, God has worked another series of miracles for my family! We can never thank Him enough for His continued faithfulness! Today, I am taking another opportunity to say thank you!

Thanks for joining me for another post. I enjoyed visiting with you and praising God! See you next week.

Odie