Whenever Nikki and I travel, often to upstate New York and New England, I love visiting antique and second hand stores, finding little treasures that are sometimes over a century old. Antiques are wonderful relics from the past, old collectibles transporting us to another time, speaking to us of our heritage, exuding charm and nostalgia. And for me, rummaging through an old antique store is therapeutic. I’m always happy looking into crooks and crannies for cool stuff.
A vintage Laguna Beach post card from about 1949. The head chef at the renown Victor Hugo’s Restaurant, Emilio Hilario, lived across the street from Nikki and me on Canyon Acres Drive during the 1970’s.
There are two items I always search for when I’m perusing an antique store – old newspapers and interesting, dated post cards. A few years ago I found a post card earmarked November 1, 1917 addressed to a Miss Alice Gasman in Huntington Park, CA. So in 11 days, the card will be 100 years old. Postage? Two-cents. But it was the other side that prompted me to buy the card, a poem entitled “Victory.”
“VICTORY”
When you are forgotten or neglected, or purposely set aside at naught, and you smile inwardly, glorifying in the insult or the oversight – THAT IS VICTORY.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your tastes offended, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you take it all in patient loving silence – THAT IS VICTORY.
When you are content with any food, any raiment, any abode, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption – THAT IS VICTORY.
When you can bear with any discord, any annoyance, any irregularity, any unpunctuality – THAT IS VICTORY.
When you can stand face to face with folly, with spiritual insensibilities, with contradictions from unbelievers, suffer persecution, and endure it all as Jesus endured it – THAT IS VICTORY.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, nor to record your good works, nor to seek after commendation, and you are content to be unknown – THAT IS VICTORY.
To be honest, everyone, I’ve got a long way to go to enter into any of this kind of victory. How about you?
Verse of the Week: Now thanks be unto God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place.”
Prayer Needs This Week…
- Good News Club started at El Morro this week; pray for Toby and Kori
- Impact and Refuge (Jr and Sr high) fires up this week
- Sally Ellis’ discipleship class begins tomorrow night
- Sunday study in the Gospel of Luke
- Women’s Beth Moore study begins next week
- ‘Shine’ Bible Study with Alison Hecht starts next week
- Men’s Hebrews study Tuesday night with Greg Sowle
- Barnabas Cottage Thursday night
- Daily morning prayer Monday thru Saturday, 8-9 am
- Young Adult Study Thursday evenings
- Christian clubs, Thurston and LBHS
- Good News Club at TOW
- Children’s Worship Warriors on Wednesday afternoon
- All-Day Wednesday prayer (8 am to 6 pm) begins first week of October
May God be your strength this week, especially in areas of weakness.
Pastor Jay