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Telling the Story: Pondering VBS
BY DAWN REED A sip of strawberry Kool-Aid can take me back in time faster than the DeLorean in the Back to the Future movie. One taste puts me right on the creek bank behind First Baptist Church of Belfry during Vacation Bible School in the 1970s. Back then, we lined up outside the church…
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Telling the Story: Generous Like Jay
Generous like Jay BY DAWN REED We met Jay last summer. He was vacationing with his family, and we struck up a conversation. Like Jay and his people, we stay at the same place every summer. This year, we saw them almost the first day of vacation. Jay is a crusty guy with a northern…
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Telling the Story: Reasons to Smile
BY DAWN REED Years ago, in a small town in Poland, we quickly learned that people there did not smile and greet one another. Each morning and evening, our mission team made the trek by foot to the church where we were having Vacation Bible School. Excited to be there, excited to be helping, we…
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Telling the Story: Taking your medicine
BY DAWN REED A few weeks ago, I missed Wednesday night church because I was sick. I had blisters in my throat and a terrible cough. When my Vietnamese friend heard I was sick, she called to give me advice. My voice squeaked when I answered, but she knew it was me. “Swirl honey around…
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Telling the Story: The only-ness of Noah
DAWN REED Genesis 6:5-6 reveals the state of the world before the flood: “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become…and His heart was filled with pain.” A few verses later, we read of all those living in the whole world, there was one righteous man: Noah. He was blameless among…
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Telling the Story: Leaving a Mark
BY DAWN REED I love a good deal and I love markers. So, when there’s a good deal on markers, you can count me in. When I found Crayola Classic 10-pack markers on sale a while back, I snatched them up. Labeled “Preferred by Teachers,” I knew they would be just right for children’s church…
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Telling the Story: What I can do
By Dawn Reed Tuesday night, I went to sleep praying for the families in Uvalde, Texas. They had experienced their worst nightmare, losing their innocent little children in an unimaginable act of violence. My head hurt as I pondered their emotions. I checked the news first thing Wednesday morning to get an update. It was…
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Telling the Story: Be a kind human
DAWN REED “Blue” is the brown horse that lives at the mouth of our hollow. (“Holler” if you are from the mountains.) Everybody loves Blue-men, women, children of all ages. It’s not unusual to see little kids walking up our narrow road with carrots in hand, taking them to their favorite horse. Cars are often…
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Telling the Story: Rich Strike and David
DAWN REED My beloved and I make it a point to watch the Kentucky Derby every year. Our interest in the daylong pre-race ebbs and flows, but when the ponies go into the Paddock, we are front and center, holding our breath for the mile and a quarter race. Before the Derby, we each make…
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Telling the Story: God can use broken things
BY DAWN REED It was a dumb move. I was carrying too much coming in from the back porch. A pillow was under one arm, coffee mug in one hand. In the other hand, I held my laptop. It was updating as it shut down, so I needed to keep it open. As I crossed…
