The Birth Place Of My Ancestors

Genesis 12:1

"Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you."

Great picture taken from the International Space Station.
That little patch of land in the center is England/ Ireland/ Scotland and Wales.
That is the place of my ancestors......Wales.
I've never been there.
Always wanted to go, but doesn't look like it will ever happen.
I don't know anyone who lives there, but I have a longing in me that, for whatever reason, keeps me connected to that country.
Maybe it is a fantasy...
Maybe I'm making more out of it that it really is....
But I feel a kinship with the culture and the country.

My name is Bynum....
But it's origin is Beinam or Baynham. The name dates back to the 1400's and is found in documents and deeds through out Wales. Rest assured there are black sheep found with the Bynum flock. We've had our fair share of horse thieves and ne'er-do-well..I'm sure that some ended up in the stocks and maybe even the gallows. But for the most part, my ancestors were solid stones in the society of their day. Not Gentry or Upper crust...but solid folk none the less.

When my ancestors first arrived in this country, they could not read or write,so when asked their name, what came out sounded like Bynum. Those who were recording or writing down for deeds and debt probably spelled it phonetically.This spelling of our name is uniquely American and  is found in no other country in the current form and spelling. It  has stuck with us.
My ancestors were people of the earth. By that, I mean they farmed. Always have, until it got to me. I guess too many hours planting and hoeing, weeding out the beds and rows, cutting okra and squash took its toll on me. I have not had a desire to be one with the earth.
If push come to shove and times got really hard, I could lay in a garden if I had to. I've had my fair share of pig killings so that wouldn't be a problem either. When the first frost would hit, my dad would say, "Its time to kill a hog." That meant we'd have ham, sausage, and all manner of pork goodness over the coming months. 

My ancestors had a love for God and the Bible.
I have numerous pastors and preachers.....Sunday school teachers...and singers who devoted themselves to God and the church.
Early on, it seems as though the Methodist Church was the choice of the Bynum's.
My dad was raised in the Methodist Church.
Mom...well, she was Baptist......
I can't tell you the times I sat at listened to the whole "Once saved, always saved Vs. You can loose your salvation" argument. 
By the time I came along, my dad had stopped going to church so it was my mother who made sure that I was raised rightly. That meant the Baptist Church.
I guess that makes me a hybrid or a religious "Mutt"...
I spent 18 years in the Baptist church.
Seven years as a pagan back slider.
15 years as a Methodist...
And the remainder of this life as a Vineyard-ite, or what ever you call us.
All of that to find out, it's just Jesus.
That name or denomination can be a good thing...or it can be your downfall depending on where Jesus is in your life.
When the flag you walk under becomes more important that the one who died to save you...well you've got a problem.
When we seek to take Jesus and define Him by our denomination we've missed the point.

I proud of the name, Vineyard, that God has connected me to, and the people who carried it before me. But I am most proud of the name..."Follower of Jesus." That name stirs me deep inside and reminds me that I must live in a state of permanent desperation for Jesus. To not grow complacent or satisfied, but to ever push forward in my daily walk with Him.
To occupy the land that God has called me to live in.
To love those around me...
To call down the Kingdom of God to be manifested here on earth as it is being done in heaven...then take that power of the Kingdom and do the works of Christ.
To love the Father, Son and Holy Ghost with every thing that is within me.
Learn to love myself...
Love others....
I figure if I focus on this, I just might make it, and possibly leave a good name for my grandchildren to take forth to the next generation.
Ain't God good?

God on you....
mb