Dorothy P. Witt (a.k.a. Granny) was born in Ashtabula on July 11, 1924. She was a woman full of laughter, kindness, generosity and a fierce love and devotion to her family and friends. Above all, she was passionate about telling people of the One who saved her and gave her new life: Jesus Christ. Not a day went by that Granny did not praise God for the gift of salvation that comes only through His Son. She went to be with her Savior on January 22, 2018.

Dorothy enjoyed finding people to help with her skills of budgeting and helped many people become debt free. She was the house mother for Seller's Baptist Home for Unwed Mothers in New Orleans, LA for 12 years before returning to Ohio to serve for over 30 years at Chardon Christian Fellowship. Dorothy loved to be busy, write poetry, play Scrabble, spend time with her family and friends, and encourage women in their lives. When she retired at 90 years old, she started writing devotionals to encourage others at www.thegrannygrams.blogspot.com. She also had a rich prayer life. If you knew Granny you made it to her prayer list!

Dorothy leaves a beautiful legacy to all who knew her, but especially her family into whom she poured her time, heart and soul. She will be missed greatly by her kids Sherry and Wayne Sanders, Sherrill Garfield, and Tom and Nancy Witt;  grandkids Jenny and Adrian Gorton and Clay and Nikki Witt; fellow mothers in law Mary Sanders and Judy Gorton; sister Irma and family; her great grandchildren: Hanna and fiance Christopher Staggs, Nathan, Leah and fiance Will Holbrook, Lydia and Marilla; her CCF family. As a family we rise up and call her blessed.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for you to give to Getting God's Message c/o 9584 Kinsman Road, Novelty, Ohio 44072 to help spread the Gospel that Granny so deeply loved.

Our Land is in Trouble

Please pray for Our Lord to rescue us by sending leaders that will lead the country once again in the God Given Way He intended for a country to function.

Gen. 12:1 – Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family, And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you, And make your name great; And you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you;  And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.  

Gen. 24:9 – “Blessed is he who blesses you And cursed is he who curses you.

 

The Declaration of Independence was based on Scripture.  Our country has strayed far away from what our founders intended it to be.  While watching the political conventions recently, I became well aware that they were not all about “what is best for America but was best for the political parties involved”.

 

I firmly believe that Our Lord expects all of His followers to seek His guidance in how we  vote and who to vote for that will represent and put into practice His desire for the future of  America.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct our paths.”

 

Thank you for reading this,

Great Granny Witt

Many spiritual lessons can be learned during a physical illnes

Your body can be physically weak while your spirit can be spiritually strong.

As you seek to apply God’s word you never can go wrong.

 

His very best for you is always His desire.

Your faith and trust in Him is all He does require

 

He will take you by the hand

And guide you in your walk

And He will listen as you ask and talk

 

Psalm 6:2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled

 

Psalm 103: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.

 

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, yea I will help you.

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Thank you for reading this, 

Granny Witt

Maturing in a Godly Manner: From Arrogance to Humility

* Granny is recovering at home after a recent unexpected hospital stay for pneumonia and gallstones. 

During my current serious illness I have been experiencing some fear and depression and lack of faith and hope. To renew my faith and hope and trust in my Lord and Savior, I looked for all the Scriptures on healing. The following Scriptures give me a peace and solace.

Psalm 6:2 - Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak. O Lord, heal me for my bones are troubled.

Psalm 103:3 - [He] forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases.

Psalm 143:1-4; 7-8 - Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications. In Your faithfulness answer me and in Your righteousness do not enter into judgement with Your servant. For in Your sight no one living is righteous....Answer me speedily, O Lord, my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me lest I be like those who go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk.

Matthew 13:15 - For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing and their eyes they have closed. Lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears; lest they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should heal them.

Luke 4:18 - Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. To set at liberty those that are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Luke 4:23 - He said to them, "He will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal Yourself. Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum do also here in Your country.'"

I find I have much more in common with King David than I ever would have imagined. Like David, I have been blessed mightily ever since I believed in Jesus. When I became ill I felt that somehow I deserved it because I had displeased God. I had always taken God's blessings for granted and expected to be exempt from any troubles of this world. I felt like God had let me down when I got so ill. I found out God does not bless us because we earned it, but because we love Him and He loves us. I praise the Lord that I am one of His children and have a special place in His heart as He has in my heart. Praise the Lord, He has humbled me!

Thank you for reading this.

Granny Witt

Maturing in a Godly Manner: Our patriotism should come to the forefront this Memorial Weekend!

Memorial Day  brings me this thought,

Of those who for our country fought.

Some have died to keep us free,

What a sacrifice for you and me.

 

Their families have been left behind,

While the enemies they sought to find.

They overcame evil with strength and power,

Never in the trenches did they cower!

 

Our freedoms would have been at stake,

If, their choice to fight they did not make.

So we owe to them a very large debt,

Which is always to remember them and never forget.

That they gave their lives to save ours, with no regret!

 

On these special days of tribute to the heroes of our land,

Pray blessings on their families, to show them we understand.

Also fly our flags of red, white and blue,

To honor them as we all should do!

 

Thank you for reading this,

 

Great Granny Witt

Maturing in a Godly Manner with gratitude and grace: Every day is Children's Day

We have just celebrated “Mother’s Day” and next month we will celebrate “Father’s Day”.  Before that, let us look at how we should be raising our children.  We all know the scriptural instructions given to us in Proverbs 22:6 –

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  

Our children need to know the instructions given to you and them in Ephesians 6:vs. 1 thru 4.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. “Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise!  “that it might  be well with you and you may live long on the earth!” (God really takes this seriously and so should you) And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”  

This is also repeated in Colossians 3:21 –

“Fathers, do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged.”  

Although this training begins in the home, it effects their behavior outside the home.  Years ago, as a missionary I had an experience that opened my eyes and ears to the connection between discipline and love.  One of the young women for whom I was responsible left the premises without getting a replacement for her assigned duty, which was a light one.  I then assigned another young lady, who had a much harder job, to replace her.  Her social worker asked her if she was angry with me,  She said, no and also said that no one before had ever cared enough about her to insist she do the right thing.  So, instead of seeing my actions as punishment, she was seeing them as an act of love and caring.  She realized that she needed to be disciplined.

Some parents handle their children with kid gloves.  Their little darlings can do no wrong.  But the parents are being derelict in their duties to bring their children up to be responsible adults.  Does the behavior of your children when outside of your home honor you as their father and mother?  If not, check out the basics and go back to “Square One”.  Not just for your own sake, but for their sake as well.  God will be pleased and so will you and your children.

Thank you for reading this,

Great Granny Witt

A Hope for the Future

I want to wish all the mothers out there a belated happy Mother’s Day. 

As always what is on my heart is the eternal destiny of those I love. I am sure you feel the same way. If we have assurance they have given their lives to Christ then we have a hope that not only will we see them again, but we can grieve as those who have hope.

My dear sister went to be with the Lord a few months ago and I have the confidence that I will see her again in eternity.  She had moved from to Ohio to California (the so called by many “the land of promise”) over 50 years ago.  On one of my visits to California, I had the opportunity to share with her the crucial meaning to us of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  John 3:15, & 3:16 “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  She had heard these Scriptures but never thought they applied to her personally. Praise God, she finally accepted the gift of salvation through Jesus!

Thinking about my future reunion with my sister in eternity inspired me to write the following poem. I pray this will also help others who have buried a loved one.

Calm and peace prevail each day,

As we walk with Jesus along the way.

His death guarantees our eternal destination,

To be with Him and others who share His salvation.

No worries or cares, nor darkness of night,

Will cast a shadow on His Great Light.

Imagine walking on streets that are gold,

That we will actually  behold.

Nothing, nor no one, on earth can compare,

With what we will experience when we arrive there.

It is not a place to dread,

But, to look forward to instead.

We can finally say,  with my soul  “All is Well”

In our eternal home where we will dwell.

Again to see those we love, who have gone before,

And to be with them forever more.

I have solace in knowing that my loved ones who have died,

Will one day again walk with me in eternity, side by side.

The following  Scriptures gave me peace and hope during my period of mourning for my sister:

2 Corinthians 5:8 – “We are confident; yes, well pleased to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:55 – “O’ Death, where is your sting? “  1 Corinthians 15:57 – “But thanks to be God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  

Praise the Lord that this same Jesus who blesses us and cares for us now, is the same Jesus who we will be with us and our loved ones for all eternity!

Thank you for reading this,


Great Granny Witt