Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

"I Knew My Daddy Would Save Me"
by Tom Goodman
September 2, 2015

www.Hillcrest.Church/HILL

Elizabeth Woodman knows how important it is to trust your father in a crisis. One April afternoon, 39-year-old Edward Woodman was steering his houseboat toward the north end of California's Lake Oroville. His 11-year-old son, David, was at his side. He did not see it when his 8-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, fell over the bow.

The girl tumbled helplessly between the aluminum pontoons of the houseboat, straight toward the churning outboard motor at the stern. The propeller blades tore into her right arm and then jammed in the tangled mass of her pink sweater. While she tried to free herself, Elizabeth remembered what her father had told her so many times: "The only thing that can hurt you in the water is panic." Calmly, she tried to untangle her sweater from the prop while she reminded herself over and over: "My daddy will save me."

Edward heard the thud under the boat and he felt the engine stop. Puzzled, he walked to the stern and looked over the railing. Seeing Elizabeth's pink sweater, the father jumped into the dark water and found his daughter. She stared back at him with no fear or panic -- just patient trust. He knew her calmness would give him a chance to free her.

The father surfaced and descended four, five, and six times to breathe life-giving air into her mouth as he yanked and cut at the pink threads holding his daughter under. Finally, he got her free and to the surface. In moments they were at full throttle toward the nearest marina and to a hospital where her arm was mended.

The next day, a reporter asked the little girl if she had been afraid during the rescue. "Oh, I knew my daddy would save me," Elizabeth said, and then looked at her father, adding, "And he did."

How can we have this kind of trust in our heavenly Father? This Sunday we'll find out in a study of Psalm 27. It's the first in a new series through selected Psalms. We're calling the series Sacred Blues, because all the psalms we'll study are about reaching out to God from the midst of hardship and crisis.

Billy Graham wrote, "If we can trust God for our eternal salvation, can't we also trust him for our lives right now?" The old evangelist was right. Join us at 10 this Sunday to learn how to do this.

--Tom

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"I Knew My Daddy Would Save Me" by Tom Goodman September 2, 2015 Sign up for a class in our FALL HILLCREST INSTITUTE www.Hillcrest.Church/HILL Elizabeth Woodman knows how important it is to trust your father in a crisis. One April afternoon, 39-year-old Edward Woodman was steering his houseboat toward the north end of California's Lake Oroville. His 11-year-old son, David, was at his side. He did not see it when his 8-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, fell over the bow. The girl tumbled helplessly between the aluminum pontoons of the houseboat, straight toward the churning outboard motor at the stern. The propeller blades tore into her right arm and then jammed in the tangled mass of her pink sweater. While she tried to free herself, Elizabeth remembered what her father had told her so many times: "The only thing that can hurt you in the water is panic." Calmly, she tried to untangle her sweater from the prop while she reminded herself over and over: "My daddy will save me." Edward heard the thud under the boat and he felt the engine stop. Puzzled, he walked to the stern and looked over the railing. Seeing Elizabeth's pink sweater, the father jumped into the dark water and found his daughter. She stared back at him with no fear or panic -- just patient trust. He knew her calmness would give him a chance to free her. The father surfaced and descended four, five, and six times to breathe life-giving air into her mouth as he yanked and cut at the pink threads holding his daughter under. Finally, he got her free and to the surface. In moments they were at full throttle toward the nearest marina and to a hospital where her arm was mended. The next day, a reporter asked the little girl if she had been afraid during the rescue. "Oh, I knew my daddy would save me," Elizabeth said, and then looked at her father, adding, "And he did." How can we have this kind of trust in our heavenly Father? This Sunday we'll find out in a study of Psalm 27. It's the first in a new series through selected Psalms. We're calling the series Sacred Blues, because all the psalms we'll study are about reaching out to God from the midst of hardship and crisis. Billy Graham wrote, "If we can trust God for our eternal salvation, can't we also trust him for our lives right now?" The old evangelist was right. Join us at 10 this Sunday to learn how to do this. --Tom Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them here. Check out my weblog here. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.