Very poor grammer, I know. But, then, my gramper didn’t have a lot of money, either!

I want to thank those of you who respond by E-mail to these pieces from week to week. A lot of time goes into thinking about and writing these things. Just about all your comments are quite encouraging and edifying. Even in the rare instance when our views don’t completely jibe, your thoughts are generally expressed with good manners and greatly appreciated!

Here are excerpts from some of the mailings that came in after last week’s writing on my fun time with our granddaughter, Rachael.

“Well said! Good words for all of us – the big kids and the little kids! I like!”

“Your improved health shone through that report and reflections on your trip to Myakka State Park with Rachael. How often does a kid have the complete attention and respect of someone who cares about them? I’m glad your words have a wide audience.”

“I enjoyed ‘our’ trip to the park, too. I could almost see those pigs, and I certainly saw the jogger jump out of the way of the ‘gator’. I enjoyed the time away. Do more like this one!!”

“I get Bill Champion’s ‘Tidbits’ (champ@bellsouth.net) and there was a devotion written by you about you and your granddaughter. I really enjoyed it. I was glad that Bill sent it to me.”

As you’ve probably figured out by now, most of the stories I share with you up here just kinda flow in a “stream of consciousness” style. I just let whatever’s inside me on Tuesday evening escape through my fingers and up to “Inside Out”.

I often write about family not only at “Inside Out”, but also in our monthly newsletter (if interested, drop me a note). Family is important to me. The opportunity to participate in the molding of a person’s character and personality is such a precious gift.

The television series, “Roots” came and went, and I never got to watch it. However, in the past few years, my interest in my own roots has bloomed and blossomed. For many years I’d picked up on my family’s belief that my Granddaddy Hopkins’ mother was at least half Native American. That has always seemed neat and cool to me. The only problem is that nobody had any real proof that this was true. All the information was purely anecdotal!

The Internet is such a fantastic tool for gathering information. I bravely set out to track down my Great Grandmother’s branch in our family tree. Sounds easy, right? Wrooooooonnnnnnggggggg! She was born in 1859. Do you have any idea how few records are still in existence from 1859? Getting a copy of her death certificate was relatively easy. If you have deceased relatives, it’s not that hard to track them down. They don’t often move! (grin)

However, from information found on the death certificate, I learned about her marriage to my Great Grandfather. I discovered where they lived when my Granddaddy was born. I came across certain facts that let me know that when my Granddaddy was 2 years old in 1899, they’d climbed aboard a Conestoga Wagon and headed down the Oregon Trail to, where else, Oregon! From there, they migrated up to Washington.

Lately, I’ve been a bit discouraged because I seemed to have hit a dead-end in my search. Yesterday, when I went top-side to check my E-mail, there was a note from a gal who believes that we’re second cousins. In her data bank, she had the right names, many of the same names I already had found. I E-mailed her back and then we spoke on the phone. She lives about 40 miles from me! I was so excited while answering her mail and talking on the phone that I could hardly sleep last night.

I believe I know what you’re thinking! “Where in the world is PapaJ going with THIS one.” A fair question. What occurred to me through swapping E-mail and phone calls yesterday is that God, unlike PapaJ, knows where each of His creation is at any given time! Isn’t that neat? He doesn’t lose track of a single one of us.

Adam and Eve tried to hide behind the bushes in the Garden of Eden. Was God fooled? Jonah tried to hide in the belly of the enormous fish. Did God know where he was?

Now, does God know where my ancestors came from, where they lived, where they died, who their children were, etc.? Absolutely. I pray regularly that God direct me to that information as I go about looking for them. In my opinion, nothing is too trivial about which to pray.

Much more important than PapaJ’s search for more parts of his family tree, is the fact that God knows where YOU are! Maybe you’re running or hiding from Him right now. Maybe you don’t even realize that He wants to bring you into His family tree and form a strong, positive relationship with you. Whatever the status of your knowledge about God and His relationship to you, He does know you, He knew you before you were born, and He’s reaching out to you.

Whether your earthly family has been close and warm or distant and cold, God has a family to which you can belong that will meet all your needs for a healthy and extraordinarily meaningful relationship. Right now, you can confess your sins, ask Him for forgiveness, obey the scriptural command to be baptized (Acts 2:38), and join His family. He won’t reject you!

Next Inside Out          Gallery              Previous Inside Out