Barbara Eubanks tells a story about something that happened in church with Hannah, her granddaughter.
Only a toddler at the time, Hannah sat with her parents and played with toys during the worship service.
The preacher’s message was from 1 Samuel, about how a barren woman, named Hannah, asked God for a child. As the preacher said, “Hannah cried out to the Lord,” Hannah’s little ears perked up. Then, she said, “Mommy, Hannah not crying.”
Thus begins the devotional book “Humorous Happenings in Holy Places,” which Eubanks of First Baptist Church, Boaz, has written. In it, Eubanks couples Bible verses, a serious point and a prayer thought with funny things that were said or occurred. In the case of little Hannah, the point is to be sensitive to when God is calling. “I just see humor in a lot of things,” she said.
Of course, being a minister’s wife for about 40 years and a Sunday School teacher since 1959 have afforded her ample opportunity to gather much material for the book. All the incidents included in it actually happened, she said.
Eubanks, an English and journalism teacher at Sardis High School in Etowah County, saw the pairing of humor with serious devotionals as a unique combination.
Tate Publishing and Enterprises in Oklahoma City, Okla., apparently thought so, too, and agreed to publish the book. “The author’s insightful sense of humor, along with years of experience in ministry, are combined to create a book that will lift your spirit with an infusion of genuine hope and joy,” said Kelly Bennett, director of marketing with the publishing company.
Eubanks, who noted that she knows of one person who has found Christ from reading the book, said the writing process probably took five years.
In February 2004, though, she attended a writing conference, to which aspiring authors were asked to be honest with themselves about why they want to publish a book.
At that point, Eubanks recounts, she turned her book over to God: “Lord, if you want this book published, … I give it to you.”
She said she submitted the manuscript to Tate Publishing soon after that and received word in June that it had been accepted for publication. This book really began to sprout roots many years ago, probably long before the idea for it ever popped into her mind.
A bride at 15 and mother of three by age 20, Eubanks recalls how her husband, Steve, a computer programmer at Redstone Arsenal, felt the Lord calling him into the ministry. The family lived in Albertville at the time. He felt like he needed to go to Samford University to get his education. In addition, said Eubanks, Steve encouraged her to go there as well. The couple graduated together in 1970.
Afterward, she went on to earn her master’s and educational specialist degrees from the University of Alabama and has done more graduate work at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Mississippi State University and Jacksonville State University. She and Steve, who have been married 46 years, have reared three sons, who now have eight children between them.
Her husband’s ministry took them to the First Baptist churches in Crossville and Attalla, among other churches. Now, he is serving as the associate pastor of First Baptist Church, Boaz.
Eubanks, who is a previous “teacher of the year” for Sardis High and “secondary teacher of the year” for the Etowah County school system, has writings approved for inclusion in other publications as well.
Eubanks’ book is available in most major bookstore databases and at www.tatepublishing.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story first appeared in The Gadsden Times.
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