Of the Week

On June 10, 1959, "Sandy" Schmuck was born Sandra Jean Greene in Warren, Michigan to Wyatt F. and Bessie M. Greene. She moved to Pensacola, Florida in 1977 and graduated from Pensacola Christian College in 1980. Two years later, she married Ronald Michael Schmuck. They had three children. Sandy Schmuck taught for many years at Pensacola Christian Academy and through the A Beka Academy homeschool program. After a battle with cancer, she passed away on October 6, 2011 at the age of 52. As part of the A Beka Academy homeschooling program, I had Mrs. Schmuck for 8th grade, 9th grade, and 11th grade English classes. She was one of my favorite teachers, and impacted my life by encouraging me both academically and spiritually. Mrs. Schmuck was an encourager. She depended on God despite her struggles. The poem below the video is an excerpt from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "A Psalm of Life." Longfellow was Mrs. Schmuck's favorite poet, and we memorized the selecti...

On November 16, 1925, Howard Boone Frank, Jr., was born in Daisetta, Texas. At only 14 years of age, he contracted polio, but this difficulty didn't stop him. He and Helene Lavern Casey were married in January 1949, and together, they spread the gospel to many. For 50 years, H.B. was a preacher for churches of Christ in Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia, as well as churches in France and England. He also wrote two books:  From Riches to Poverty to Glory and God's 10 Covenants. Many lives have been touched  through his preaching, writings, and example . H.B. passed away on Christmas Day 2008. My grandfather was a man of honor, truth, and strength. Above all, he was a man of God,  a mighty warrior in His Kingdom.  He knew Whom he had believed, and God was not ashamed to be called his God. What an example for all of us! "I am not ashamed; for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard ...

Eighty-eight years ago today, on November 1, 1925, Helene Lavern Casey was born in Pontotoc, Oklahoma, the youngest of James and Mollie Casey's ten children. When only 11 years old, Lavern was struck with polio, taking away the use of her legs for the rest of her life. In the late 1940s, God providentially brought Lavern and Howard Boone Frank together, and on January 22, 1949, they were married—"Polio Takes a Back Seat to Love." H.B. and Lavern would be married for over 59 years. Despite her polio and her physical pain, Lavern never stopped being a worker for God. Along with daily housekeeping, she raised five children, all while on the mission field. R eaching out to others and spreading the Good News of Christ,  H.B. and Lavern lived in the United States, France, and England and visited at least 10 others countries. In 2004, Lavern had a stroke which took away the use of her left arm and affected her vision. But even this couldn't diminish her positive spirit or he...

They'd enter the halls of the Pharaoh, sent by "I AM." They'd march 13 times around impenetrable walls. They'd run up mountains to destroy cities of giants. They'd stand before the tallest Goliath, with five pebbles and a sling. They'd rebuke the mightiest kings, even if it cost them their lives. They'd accept life's fiery furnaces and lion's dens, that God alone might be praised. They'd give themselves to be crucified before giving themselves to the world. They are the radicals . . . They subdue kingdoms. They pursue righteousness. They stop lions' mouths. They quench the violence of fire. They wax valiant in fight, turning to flight the armies of Satan. They're tortured with cruel mockings and scourgings, bonds and imprisonments. They wander about in deserts, mountains, dens, and caves, in sheepskins and goatskins. They are the radicals . . . They're always striving for the patience of Job ...

"Those people (Christians)—they’re sort of weird, ya’ know. They won’t hurt you, kill you, hate you, rob you, or sue you. They always dress modestly, always eat honorably, and always talk righteously. They're very selective with what they read, they won’t watch our favorite movies, they refuse to listen to our music, they don't care about our iPhone apps, and they don’t like our websites. For them, it is honorable to be a servant, to be last, not first; and they see the least among them as the greatest. These people are always so diligent at everything they do, sometimes you wish they would just—I don’t know—be a bit more lazy or something. They love their God, talking to him every day and reading His Book. The husbands among them love their wives, the wives respect their husbands, and the children obey their parents. They don’t drink, and they don’t smoke. They are so humble that it’s impossible to offend them, no matter how hard you try. They call themselves ‘children of...