Episode Three – Welcome to Our Ladies' Luncheon

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello lovely ladies. It's such a joy to be with you again today. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing in your home, this is from my home to yours.

Don't you love that song at the beginning? That song, “In That Home,” was written by my dear friend Michael Tait, who is the lead singer of the Newsboys. He wrote that song about his own mother who has now passed away. It was a tribute to her, and the home she created, and how it was always an open home. So many people, needy and hurting people, came into this home to find life and love and the Gospel of Jesus.

Well, I wonder what's been happening in your home since I spoke to you last. We've just had a continual round of birthdays, and a baby dedication, which is pretty normal in our large family of so many children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren coming along.

We also had a Ladies' Luncheon. Maybe I'll tell you a little bit about that. Perhaps, although we've already enjoyed it, I'll just bring you in to sit around our table with us, to catch up with the joy of this.

This was a Ladies' Luncheon, just in the family for my daughters, daughters-in-law, and close family around. \We do this about once a year because we all live such busy lives that we don't have time. We celebrate all the children's birthdays, but we often don't have time to celebrate our own birthdays with one another.

Of course, each wife enjoys her birthday with her husband and her family, but this is something we do together. So, we do it once a year, and okay, it's happy birthday to all of us.

Last Wednesday it was just nine of us sitting around my table here in our home. Three of the girls were missing. Two of my daughters-in-law were out of state. But each one brought a special dish, something lovely, usually a Trim Healthy Mama dish.

We sit around the table and as we're eating, we'll open it up for each one to share something. We're very big on sharing together because this is what makes a meal time. I'm a great believer in that food is not just eating food. Food is also sharing our hearts with one another. It's food and fellowship.

As one writer said that gathering round the table is “Eye to eye, face to face, table fellowship.” That's what makes a meal so beautiful.

So, we opened it up, and because we're all very talkative and outgoing, I usually have to be an umpire. We started to go around the table, not everybody talking when they like. So, we started with Pearl. Perhaps I'll just tell you a few of the things they shared, not everybody of course, or we'd be here all day!

Pearlie began to share just a few blessings, just basking in the blessings of God, in their new home. Many of you may know that just before Christmas last year, the home they were living in was burned to the ground. They lost absolutely everything that they owned, but praise the Lord, they were already in the process of building another home.

And so, they were able to move into that, and she was so enjoying it, loving it, and loving being a grandmother, entering into this new role of enjoying little Warren Charles, her eldest daughter, Meadow’s son.

Then we moved on to my sister Kate. Now I'm so blessed to have her living here. For many years, Kate and I hardly saw one another. We were in different countries of the world. I was back in New Zealand, moved to the Philippine Islands, back to New Zealand, then to Australian, and then we came to the States. She was living up in Canada. But eventually through circumstances, a few years back, she came to the States too.

Kate is a wonderful intercessor. She loves to pray. A number of years ago, God put on Kate's heart a burden to pray in the square in Franklin for revival. Now Franklin is our nearest, what would I call it, nearest yuppie city. Because we live out here in the woods in Primm Springs, and we have three little towns around us. In one direction, it's Dickson; in another direction, it's Centerville; and in another direction, it's Columbia. They're all about half an hour away.

But if we travel an hour, we'll get to Franklin. That's our favorite place to go. Kate lives nearer to Franklin. Way back, after the Civil War, there was a revival in the city of Franklin. And it happened through prayer. It happened through the prayers of E. M. Bounds, and other men praying with him.

E. M. Bounds is a man who was, he's no longer with us today; a man who loved to pray. In fact, I think he has written the most powerful books on prayer that have ever been written. If you have never read them, get hold of them. You can just get them off the internet.

Of course, I am a great believer in not so much reading about prayer, but actually praying. I believe that if you want to learn how to pray, you don't read books about how to pray, you pray! But if you want to be stirred up in the ministry of prayer, do read E. M. Bounds. He's just so challenging.

Kate read about the revival that happened in Franklin. She felt, oh my, we need another move of God, another revival in this city of Franklin. So, she began. She asked others to join with her. She has a few that join her each week. So, every single Friday lunchtime, she goes to the square in Franklin and prays for revival.

Kate has been faithful to do this year after year, rain or sunshine. There have been times when she was the only one who turned up. But she still prays. At one time she told me: “I was the only one that day. God put it on my heart not to stand there and pray in the square, but to actually kneel down.” She said, “I felt rather embarrassed, but I obeyed the Lord and knelt down, the only sole person, and cried out for revival in Franklin.”

Well, Kate's blessing was that just the other week, a lady turned up to pray with her. She said to her, “Kate, do you know that this is the anniversary of your praying in the square? It's the tenth anniversary. At this time, I want to join with you again today as we celebrate this anniversary of praying for ten years.”

Kate said she was just so blessed, because she hadn't counted the years. She had forgotten how many years she had been faithfully praying in the square. But she realized God has not forgotten. God has been counting the years, even when she hadn't been counting. She felt so blessed that God encouraged her. He was saying, “Kate, I've been counting the years. I've been watching you pray every week, rain, cold, or snow.”

She shared that encouragement. I know God is going to faithfully honor those prayers. We don't know how many more years she'll have to pray. Maybe it'll be a few months. Maybe it'll be more years. But God has heard those cries.

Who was speaking next? It was my sister-in-law, Judy, all the way from New Zealand. And that's why we had our luncheon this time, when Judy was visiting us, so she could be part of it. She's married to my only brother. His name is Grant. Of course, we say, “Grant,” (with the sound of “ant”) having come from New Zealand. I know that most Americans say “Grahnt,” but I can't get used to saying “Graant,” so of course I call him who he really is, “Grant.”

So, Judy began to share. She's here on her own, because, sadly, my brother is no longer able to travel. He's younger than me, but he has developed Parkinson's, and he's no longer able to travel. I'll get on to that story in a little minute, because this is what Judy shared with us, what she's having to face now, with this new season in her life.

But before I do, I must tell you another story about my sister-in-law, which is quite amazing. Judy is a twin, her twin sister is Jan, and they are identical twins. I can remember when Judy would come to our home, way back in the days when she and my brother were courting. Sometimes Jan would come too, but we wouldn't know who was who, I mean they were just so identical.

Well, praise the Lord, they were identical, because if they weren't, well, we may not have known Judy today. Because way back then they didn't really put a nametag or identification on the babies. Somehow there was another set of twins that were born at the same time in the hospital. For some reason, nobody knew that it happened at the time, but these twins got mixed up.

These twins were about 20 months or so, maybe two years. One day Judy's mother was wheeling her twins down the street in her push chair, as we call it in New Zealand, just pushing it into the shop. There she meets another lady with twins. That's so exciting to meet someone else with twins! I know, because I also had twins!

Of course, she goes up to them, and oh, before their eyes, they see something dreadful! Because one of the twins in her pushchair looked exactly like one of the twins in the pushchair of the other mother! And vice versa! The mothers looked and realized something had happened. Because they were identical, it was obvious. Here were these two sets of twins, but with two different mothers! One with one, one with the other. Can you imagine that happening to you?

Well, of course, they had to go and get checked, find out which twin belonged to each family. They had to face the most traumatic experience of giving up a baby which they thought was theirs, they thought belonged to them, whom they had loved, and were bonded to completely.

Now my sister-in-law, Judy, she was the one who was with the other mother. She had to be given back to her true mother. And then her mother had to part a baby whom she loved. It was a most traumatic experience for all.

Fortunately, Judy's parents were very godly people, and God gave them great strength to handle the situation. Judy didn't know about this herself until later on in her life, in latter years. I mean, not when she was really older, but when she was grown up.

But she never suffered one little emotional stress in her life. If you could see my sister-in-law today, she is the most “got-it-together” person you could ever imagine in your whole life. I believe that's because of the parents who were able to embrace this new baby, which was theirs, and begin to pour out their love on this baby, and bond with this little one.

Sadly, sadly, that didn't happen in the other home. This we have only found out in very latter years. Because it was such a sore point in the parents’ lives, and when Judy did find out, she found out through her grandparents. She was never allowed to talk about it with her parents. They wouldn't talk about it.

In fact, when Judy and Grant, my brother, were courting, I'll never forget one mealtime. They came and had dinner. You know how it is when you get the two families together. Her family came to have dinner with our family. And interestingly, her father had been groomsman at my father's wedding, and then they had parted ways all these years until, now, these two were courting.

So, my father is there at the table, and he just puts his foot in it. He says, “Well, that must have been a pretty terrible time when those twins were all mixed up!” Oh my. You could have cut the air with a knife!

Her father said, “We don't talk about that, thank you!” That was the end of that conversation!

It was only when her parents passed away, that Judy wanted to find out, “Who was this woman, who was my first mother?” She was able to track her down. She shared with us that when she went to this home in great trepidation, and knocked on the door, this woman came to the door. She said to her, “I'm your Susan,” because that's what they had called her.

Well, this woman, she just ran! She ran into the house screaming, “My Susan is here, my Susan is here, my Susan is here!” This woman had never ever never got over losing that child.

In fact, when Judy was able to meet the other twin, then they discovered for the first time what had happened. The twin who had been given back, it was the first time she could understand why she was never accepted in the family. She was rejected. She wasn't loved. She was never even hugged. They couldn't accept her. So, it was a terrible thing that happened in that other family.

So anyway, that's the story of my sister-in-law. But she is so amazing today. It didn't really affect her because she had wonderful parents.

As we were all sharing about our lives, Judy began to share about facing life now with her husband, who has Parkinson's. Because my brother and his wife Judy have always been the most adventurous couple in the world, they have traveled, and they have done exciting things with their family. They were just wonderful parents.

Then as their children have grown up, the children have left the shores of New Zealand. Two of them live here in Tennessee.

We are blessed to have Melissa, her daughter, here with us. Their eleven children, soon to be twelve, because Melissa and Cal, are in the process of adopting a little Down's Syndrome baby from China. They're no longer able to have any more. They're blessed with eleven, praise the Lord, and so now they're adopting this little baby. They're going to call this coming baby, Jewel, because all their children, their names start with “J.”

So, Melissa lives here, and Judy’s other son Levi lives here, and another daughter lives in Majorca, in Spain. So of course, they had to travel to be with their children.

Now, Grant can't travel. He just can't go too far away, because Parkinson's is not only physical, but very emotional. You can't cope with too much. So now all their plans of visiting so much with their children who live overseas and doing other wonderful things together have come to a halt. They’ve always had the most glorious marriage. They just wanted to enjoy these wonderful retirement years together, and now, Judy, who feels so fit and full of energy and full of adventure, is stuck.

Now, she came this time to see her family here. She came for three weeks, leaving Grant. Praise the Lord, her twin sister and husband live right next door, so they were able to look after Grant while she was away.

But most of their plans have had to change. She was just sharing how she had to come to this, and accept this season of her life, and accept this situation with her husband. Not to be bitter, not to be disappointed, but to embrace what's happening now, and to make the most of this.

Of course, she loves to be useful, so there is an Old People's home just down the road from her. She goes down there and visits and talks these people, helping where she can. She just loves to make herself useful.

And of course, she's there to support her husband. But I thought it was such a beautiful thing to see her attitude. And to see, how, without disappointment and bitterness, she is embracing this, and still full of joy, and making the most of her life.

So, of course, we continued around the table, and I won't go on with all the rest of the stories of everybody else. But you can just imagine what a beautiful time it was. Of course, we laughed, and of course, we cried. These are wonderful times, wonderful memories.

I would encourage you, dear wives and mothers, to make memories in your family. Make things happen. It's so easy to just go along, in the busyness of life, and everything we must do, and forget to make memories.

Always be thinking of special things that you can do, special meals that you can make, special functions you can create to make happen with your family. Or even to bless others outside your family.

I have done so many different things over the years. I remember, and I used to find, even when I was raising our children (they're all grown now), but when I was raising them, and in the home, I found that my home was the most powerful place to touch people for God. I had a home. You have a home.

Oh yes, a home is a sanctuary for your family. But it's a home to bless others. You can impact hundreds of lives. I'm sure we've impacted thousands of lives all throughout the years in our home.

I remember one time I got an idea to put on a function for the older people in our community, the over seventies. So, I got with a few friends of the other mothers with their little children, and said, “Hey, let's do something! Let's reach out and bless the older ones, shall we?”

This time it got so big that we couldn't even do it in the home. I’ve since done others for older people in the home, but this one turned out so big that we had to do it in our church hall. We got everybody involved. We got young people involved, going out in their vans and in their cars to go and get these old people from the nursing homes. Everyone who was able enough to get into a car, we invited them to this beautiful luncheon.

Oh, and then we got people in the church excited. We'd gotten to cook the most beautiful food, the most beautiful cakes, and we put on a spread, like a wedding feast! And then when it was all spread out, I said, “Oh goodness me, what are we going to do with all this food? We will never eat it all!”

But you cannot believe it. All those dear old people, oh, they had never seen a feast like it for years! And you know what? They ate every little bit. It was all gone! They just loved it, and then we put on a little concert for them. We got our children to do put on talent for them. They could sing, or they could get up and recite memory verses. They could play their instruments. Old people love to see the young children doing things. So, we put on a beautiful concert for them.

But you can do that in your home. Invite a couple of older people to your home for a meal. Then you could have your children practice up some songs or musical items for them. Sing a song, say a poem, whatever. These are beautiful things you can do to bless others outside your home.

So always be thinking of new ideas, creative ways to do special things as a family, and special things to reach out beyond your family. I think of that wonderful Scripture, and I'll close this session with this Scripture, 1 Timothy 5:10.

Here Paul is writing to Timothy, and he's talking about all the widows, there seemed to be many widows in the church, and Timothy didn't know what to do with them. So, Paul said, “Okay, here is what you do, Timothy. All the widows who have children or grandchildren, they must care for them. They must look after them.”

That's still God's plan today, not pushing our old people off in homes where we don't have to worry about them, but looking after them, bringing them into our own homes. But there were still some widows who had no one to look after them.

So, he said, “Okay, if they are true widows of 60 years of age and older, and they have lived a certain lifestyle, I want you to look after them. You can care for them and provide for them from the church.”

So here it says that if she has lived a lifestyle that is “Well reported of for good works, if she has brought up children.”

God always puts first things first. The first thing is: “if she has brought up children.” Has she embraced children, welcomed them, fed them.” Actually, that's the word for “brought up.”

The word in the Greek is:

teknotropheo.

teknon = child

trepho = to feed, to nourish, to pamper with food.

It's all part of our mothering—feeding, feeding, feeding, cooking, cooking, cooking. Never despise it. It's fantastic, it's part of what you do.

But then it goes on to see the heart of this woman, that reached out even beyond her children.

“If she has loved strangers.” Her heart was open in hospitality. Her doors were open to invite people into her home, to sit around her table for a meal, to stay the night. She had a big heart.

And of course, once again, hospitality entails feeding. You can't invite people to your home without feeding them.

And then it says: “If she has washed the saints' feet.” Well, back in Bible times, when they came into the home, they washed their feet because they'd been walking the dusty roads with their sandals. So, it was the custom when they came into the home—feeding them, washing the saints' feet. This talks about reaching out to the lowly ones and the needy ones.

It goes on to say: “If she has relieved the afflicted.” You can't relieve those who are needy and poor and afflicted without giving them food.

In blessing people, in opening your home, making things happen, it all entails food. So, just enjoy making food! It's part of what you're meant to do. It makes wonderful memories, and you can make your home so exciting.

Let me pray.

“Dear Father, I thank You for all these precious ladies listening. I pray that You will give them a vision for their home. I pray that You will put on their hearts the creative ideas, things they can do in their homes to bless their families, to bless so many needy people outside their families. And Father, that You will make their home a place where people feel Your presence, where they find You, and where they know that You are real. We ask it in the Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Transcribed by Darlene Norris