"Whoever dwells in the shelter
of the Most High will rest in the
shadow
of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my
refuge
and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover
you with his feathers, and under his wings
you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield
and rampart. You will not fear
the terror of night, nor the arrow that
flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the
darkness, nor the plague that
destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your
side, ten thousand at your
right hand, but it will not come
near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the
Most High your dwelling, no harm
will overtake you, no disaster will
come near your tent. For he will command his
angels
concerning you to guard you in all
your ways; they will
lift you up in their hands, so that you will
not strike your foot against a stone. You will
tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample
the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue
him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my
name. He will call on me, and I will answer
him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long
life I
will satisfy him and show him my
salvation.” Psalm 91
It was late Sunday afternoon on January 15, 1950 and a very pregnant Reita Mae Snyder was sitting on a stool in her kitchen in Bourbon, Indiana frying some steaks for dinner.
Trust me, the woman can cook! But the steaks on the stove were about to be interrupted by the "bun in the oven" as labor pains began in a serious way.
Don Snyder devoured both steaks while Reita packed her stuff for the 16.2 miles trip down U.S. 30 to the Murphy Medical Center in Warsaw, Indiana. Around 10:30 that night they welcomed a 9' 15" 22 1/2 " baby boy into the world. They named him Bradley Donn Snyder.
These days the Murphy Medical Center has been torn down and the site has become the north end of a supermarket parking lot, Don Snyder has passed on and Reita is recovering from foot surgery awaiting her return to the bowling team she shares with three of her daughters in Warsaw - (and she is still a great cook).
What about the baby boy? He is a little taller, a bit heavier, a lot older and now a Virginian, but still going strong and loving life. Some of you call him "pastor" and some call him "friend" and one calls me "son" while another calls me "cutie" (imagine that).
So, here I am adding one more year to my age and trying to adjust to that number. Reflecting on all of this the words of an old Gaither song are rattling around in my ancient brain:
Since I started for the Kingdom,
Since my life He controls,
Since I gave my heart to Jesus,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.
Since my life He controls,
Since I gave my heart to Jesus,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.
Chorus
The longer serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
The longer serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
Ev'ry need He is supplying,
Plenteous grace He bestows;
Ev'ry day my way gets brighter,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.
Plenteous grace He bestows;
Ev'ry day my way gets brighter,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.
Chorus
The longer serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
The longer serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
Amen!
Thank you, Heavenly Father for another year of life abundant and the promise of life eternal!
Thank you, Heavenly Father for another year of life abundant and the promise of life eternal!