Remembering Bro. Jimmy

Before I blog about the great time I had today at "Tennessee Mornings," I want to share something about the very first time I had the opportunity to be on TV to plug a book. It was back in 2001, and the book, of course, was Baby Boot Camp. Through a connection at my church, I got to go on a popular local midday news show. I was so excited! (Remember, at that time, BBC was the self-published edition, so any promo that I got, God was providing through friends and acquaintances--no publisher was paving the way!)

BBC is a devotional book for new moms. There is no way around that. So imagine my surprise when I got to the studio, nervous as a cat, and the show host very graciously informed me that I couldn't talk about God. Hello? It's a devotional book. What in the world am I going to talk about? I remember turning to my husband (who was with me) in a sheer panic. If I thought I was nervous before, I was positively shaky at this point. As the show host and I were seated and they put the mic on me, she leaned forward and said, "Hey, we're all behind you here, and we support what you're doing. We just have to be really careful how we do this." She laughed then and said, "I'll drive!" (meaning for me to relax and let her "drive" the interview).

What else could I do?

I believe that sometimes--perhaps often!--God puts us in situations for which we are totally unprepared, and then He insists that we relax and let Him drive!

After the segment, I left the studio feeling really defeated. It had really gone okay (they ended up inviting me back a few times), but in my mind, it was horrible. (Y'all know how the mind works, right?) I felt like I had done nothing that really honored God, that the message I had for new moms had not been articulated, and on and on. (I can really beat myself up.) The next day, however, I received a card from my pastor. (My dear pastor at that time, Bro. Jimmy Moore, has since gone Home to be with the Lord, just about one year ago. But I have been thinking about him for the past two weeks, since Fox booked me for this week.)

My dear pastor had taken the time to send me a note, penned in his own hand. I cherish it. In it, he told me he had watched the show, and he told me that I had represented the Lord and our church well, and he was proud of me.

I can't express how much his loving words meant to me. It was so like him to express his loving care for his sheep in such a thoughtful way. Over the next several days, there is no telling how many times I re-read that card. Whenever I thought about how I had bombed, I ran to that card.

You know, God has given us His Word to run to when we feel discouraged, defeated, or depressed. He's offered us a love letter, penned in His own Hand. It is so like Him to express His loving care for His sheep in such a thoughtful way! My dear Bro. Jimmy showed Christ in so many of the little things he did, and I know I never thanked him enough. I have been blessed with his sweet memory lately, and I am so thankful for that! He believed in me and what I was doing.

Does someone need to hear that from you today?