Feb 22, 2026 – Respond
I got to see four of Aunt Libba’s five children on Saturday (the oldest lives way outta town up north) and then got to go to the Auburn vs. Kentucky basketball game that evening with two of them! (Ironically, in one of her notebooks, I’d read an entry from the early 1960s about going to an AU KY game. Unlike that day, they won this time!) Family is a treasure! So is Auburn! In another of Aunt Libba’s notebooks, I found this passage written about Tim Cook, CEO of Apple: “For many, Auburn becomes a destination, a check off Life’s to-do list. For Cook, it remains with him as part of the journey.” His thoughts about Auburn: “When you come here, you think of Auburn as a place, as a location. You might think of it as a football team, but somewhere along the line I think for many people, it clicked for me, you realize Auburn is not a location at all. It’s not a place. It’s a spirit that you take with you for the rest of your life. That’s the magic of the place.” For me, Auburn is family and feelings. As the players were about to run on the court, I got teary-eyed with all of the hype (happens at football games and other events around town too.) I haven’t rolled the corner after a win in while but I suppose that would get to me too! Many times through the years, Pastor Chris Hodges (Church of the Highlands) has pointed out that we should have those same emotional feelings about Jesus and our faith.
JA – “A wonderful counselor is not only extremely good at helping people but also able to inspire delight or pleasure. Delight yourself in Me, beloved, and I will give you the desires of your heart.” God gave me the delight of getting to go to a ball game! The desires of Aunt Libba’s heart are to share her lifelong ponderings and here I am ready to help bring them to life with God’s help.
Max – This devotion is about how Biddy Chambers “turned her husband’s notes into pamphlets, and eventually they were compiled into a book. My Utmost for His Highest was published in 1927” after his death. I guess that’s sort of what I will be attempting with all of Aunt Libba’s notebooks! Max encourages me, “She gave what she had to Jesus, and with it Jesus fed, and feeds, the multitudes. Let’s follow her example.”
Prevail #53 – Interestingly, the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 comforts me when I think of the many things that haven’t panned out in my life. Great ideas that lay dormant like Hannah’s womb while her husband’s other wife “pridefully took credit for her own fertility and judged Hannah for her unexplained barrenness.” God knows our situations and sometimes He saves our blessings for another time. We would do best to trust Him rather than whine about our lack. Larson points out the truth we all need to keep in mind, “… God had actually kept Hannah from having children because He was waiting for the right time to draw a whole nation back to Him. Her future son would become one of the greatest prophets of all time…. Honor God. He will – in due time – bless you before a watching world.”
JC – “You need Me every moment….The emptiness you feel within will be filled either with problems or with My Presence. Make Me central in your consciousness by praying continually….”
Power – Joyce points out, “How we treat ourselves is often how we treat others. For example, if you receive God’s mercy, then you will be able to give mercy to others….”
