From Mighty Rivers 

There was a famine in the land. The first reaction was to go to a land where there was no famine. This story unfolds in Genesis 26.

Then the Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go to Egypt; dwell in the land…sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and I will bless you.”

When you are in a mess, the worst thing you can do is to come up with your own plan. Isaac’s father, Abraham, had gone down to Egypt and gotten into worse trouble. Don’t lean on your own understanding; acknowledge the Lord in all your ways and He will direct your paths.

 “Stay in this land and I will bless you where you are.”

I remember God blessing us with a Cub Scout ministry in the early 1960s. By the end of the 60s He had blessed us with a terrific BYF. You should have seen it—choir loft so full, teens were sitting on the rails and ledges. That blessing lasted all through the 60s and 70s.

While others were leaving town because of school upheaval, we stayed, and God gave us Camelot, a Christian school and a slice of life that will never be forgotten.

Then came 1980, and all those young people entered young adulthood.  We were without kids, but we stayed, and soon God blessed us again, and we called that blessing The King’s Kids. For the rest of the 80s and through the 90s we rejoiced in that fantastic group with musicals, mirth, ministry, and memories.

Then in 1999, a piece of third class mail came.  It was a pamphlet announcing a children’s program called Upward Basketball. Some South Carolina fellow had started it in his church, and it grew until he mailed out these flyers. Across the front were the words, “Do you have a gym?” Underneath was the picture of a basketball. We had four young couples who liked sports in general and basketball in particular. We met in JC’s Hall after church.

“Take a look at this.”  As they looked, I saw the hand of God come down. It was done. And God had blessed us again where we were.

I think God has enjoyed all this as much as we have.