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I feel for you, brother. I was 24, my wife 22 when we married. 6 months later she was pregnant. 3 months after that she had a miscarriage. A little less than a year later she was pregnant again. This one ended in something called a molar pregnancy where the fetus starts growing through the wall of the uterus. She had to have surgery. After that, she couldn't get pregnant in what her doctor called "unexplained infertility". I was tested. She went through a bunch of tests and procedures but nothing was ever found as to why she couldn't get pregnant. Mother's day was extremely hard. We would go to church and the mothers would be honored. The message would center around being a mother and would unintentionally make it sound like if you weren't a mother you were only half a woman. Father's day seemed worse because friends and family would acknowledge that I too was effected by the miscarriages, but would quickly shift gears back to my wife because she was the actual vessel that had the miscarriage. In other words, "suck it up, man...oh your poor wife". I guess as the father I wasn't allowed to have "feelings" of loss, it was all the woman's sorrow. We too started skipping the mothers and fathers day ceremonies. I would honor her with gifts for being a mother of two children in heaven. Irony??...I have been Baptist my whole life. We believe life begins at conception but it seems except on mother's and father's day because miscarriages didn't seem to count. I do have a happy ending, but it took 10 more years and a doctor in Columbus.

More Than Enough Mankind is always seeking for some lasting substance to be found; Everywhere the heart can glean, he thinks valuable treasures will abound; But it seems of the world’s riches, there is never enough to go around - With all that I have in Christ, the Word of God clearly resounds: More than enough wisdom to guide me in His sight, More than enough strength for these battles that I fight, More than enough truth - in fact, the Lord is my Light! Whatever I face in this life, Jesus Christ is more than enough. More than enough new mercies to help me through each day, More than enough forgiveness when my steps lead me astray, More than enough grace for those trials that come to stay - With my Saviour, I have more than enough to face whatever comes my way. More than enough promises for me to live a godly life, More than enough peace to calm every sort of strife, More than enough power to command that every storm be still, In my Saviour is more than enough for me to do my Father’s will. More than enough provisions which come from up on high, More than enough comfort for every teardrop and sigh, More than enough hope - one day, I’ll meet my Lord in the sky; For all that I will ever need, Jesus Christ is more than enough. January 31, 2024 Jerry Bouey Romans 5:5-8 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 8:31-32 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? The following was written by a man in my church as a challenge to others a couple of years ago. He passed it on to me to use as a theme for a possible poem. The owner of a Rolls Royce wrote a letter to the CEO of the company and asked him what the horsepower was of his vehicle. His reply was a one-worded letter: "Adequate.” Of course there are many more features of the Rolls Royce than the horsepower that we could describe as adequate, the many features of the controls, appearance of the interior, design and leather of the upholstery, and the statement this car makes from its outside appearance. My thoughts turned to my God and I began mentally listing all the ways in which I considered Him to be adequate. Omnipotent: All POWERFUL, created the universe, the earth, the sun, moon and stars, our lands with all kinds of animals, our vegetation, trees, oceans and lastly human beings, which He did in just six days, His power, more than ADEQUATE. Omniscient: KNOWS EVERYTHING, Even the very hairs of your head are numbered, not counted, but numbered. Just one example from Matthew 10:30. His knowledge, More than ADEQUATE. Omnipresent: PRESENT EVERYWHERE, Omnipresence means that at the very minimum there is no place to which God's knowledge and power do not extend. You cannot hide from God. More than ADEQUATE. Immutable: GOD CANNOT CHANGE, Hebrews 6:17,18, The promise of blessedness which God has made to believers is not a rash and hasty thing, but the result of God's eternal purpose. (2.) This purpose of God was agreed upon in counsel, and settled there between the eternal Father, Son, and Spirit. (3.) These counsels of God can never be altered; they are immutable. He is the same from everlasting to everlasting. More than ADEQUATE. These are considered the attributes of God, but there is one more very important thing, and some theologians would disagree with this but I don't think the following statement about love is an attribute of God. GOD IS LOVE! This very brief statement is from 1st John 4:18. At His very core, God is Love. Love so great that He gave His Son to die a very cruel death to save us from our sins. More than ADEQUATE! There are many more examples of how God is adequate in Scripture. His promises, hundreds, maybe thousands of them (I didn't count them), but I would challenge you as you come to them in your reading, stop and think of how adequate that particular promise is FOR ME/YOU today. Gary Carruthers (Used with permission)

We do different gifts. Sometimes they get elaborate. For mothers, we've done pansies in pretty pots with a small chocolate, potted succulents, jar candles with a goodie, a good book & bookmark - things like that. Fathers have gotten things like a small tool set or cookies. Their favorite year was the year someone baked a pie for every dad in the church, and they got to pick their favorite flavor to take home. I have mixed feelings about celebrating mother's day/father's day too overtly. Singles are obviously left out (not that I mind... there are usually leftovers if I really want something - ha!), but I wonder how those feel who are silent parents (lost a child to miscarriage that people might not know about), or struggling with infertility.

There are many examples of this in the Word of God - God speaking to the nation of Israel or a group of people, then applying it to an individual (or vice-versa). Isaiah 7:11-14 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. The king wouldn’t obey, so God gave a sign to the whole nation. John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus but addressing all mankind. Luke 22:31-32 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Satan is going to put all 12 of you through the wringer, but I’ve prayed for you specifically, Peter. Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. The time of persecution would affect the whole church, but the promise is to individuals.

This year, we thought it'd be fun to interview our kids. So, I'm gonna be the one asking them questions on camera. We're gonna then play the video during the service when we're giving honor to the moms and dads. Should be pretty funny!

A church I went to in New York would take the Sunday School hour to let loved ones come up and relate what made their parent/spouse special to them. I always enjoyed that. I can never say enough good things about my wife; and to have a captive audience... It was nice to hear others extol the virtues of their loved ones as well. Sometimes your eyes get opened to unseen aspects of a person's character and what they are, or have been, going through; and the strength and compassion they truly possess. At my church here this past year they did Moms and muffins, and Dads and doughnuts. The lobby was filled with a wide assortment of each on the relevant day for all to share and fellowship around. (you know...Baptists and food).