December 26. We were thankful to get clean towels and linens this morning. We didn’t get them on Monday, the usual day, since the worker was off for the holidays. He brought clean ones to the apartment before we left this morning so we took time to remake the bed and put out clean towels and washcloths before we left for C&C’s house. Once we arrived, there was plenty to do. Put away food in fridge. Make a smoothie. Set up computer. Daddy and I, with the Lord’s help and guidance, checked I Timothy 5. (Lord willing, we can finish that book on Friday and pack away our materials.) I got corrections made in the computer file. Then Daddy got ready to head for Gaffney to pick up milk for C&C, and I got ready to wash yesterday’s and this morning’s dishes. By the time dishes were done, it was lunch time. After lunch, I set up I Timothy 5 in the print file and also added the English for chapter 6. While I was waiting for Daddy to get back from Gaffney, I looked for a lacy cowl pattern. Shortly after he got back, we had our nap. After nap, I worked on the music file for the Aleluya 1 hymn book. This evening, I started crocheting a lacey cowl, and Daddy shared a short devotional with us on assurance of salvation while we three ladies looked up and read the verses. Daddy and I had planned to go out to Nations Baptist, but Pastor P called and said that everyone was sick. At first he was going to meet with just us, but then he got sick too. We made arrangements to meet him Monday noon at Ruby Tuesday. “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:34 Jesus always had a heart of compassion for the people. He knew they needed a Shepherd, a Savior; therefore he taught them many things. He knew that was their greatest need so that they would understand their sinful condition and come into the fold of the Great Shepherd. December 27. As soon as I was done with breakfast this morning, we went out to do some shopping at WalMart. We didn’t need much today for groceries as we need to try to use up as much as we can of what we have on hand. We just needed a handful of groceries and a few personal items to pack in our suitcases and take with us. We brought those groceries home and then went out to the Kings Mountain Post Office to mail ourselves a package to PNG. They weren’t very busy, and the worker was very helpful. Stopped at Ingles on the way home so Daddy could spend the last couple dollars that was left on his Starbucks gift card. After nap, I did some crocheting and packing. This evening, I washed dishes, did more crocheting, and we listened to a good message by Adrian Rogers on The Precious Blood of Christ. “34And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38
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December 24. God has given us another nice sunny day. After my breakfast and quiet time, I texted back and forth with Ellen and with C&C about having dinner tomorrow at Ellen’s place. Then Daddy and I, with the Lord’s help, checked chapter 4 of I Timothy. Afterward we went out for a nice refreshing walk before I made Timothy corrections in the computer and got things set up in the print file. After we came back in, I got last week’s journal notes transferred to a file and edited to send to Connie. Then Daddy and I chose seats on the plane for the cross-country sector of our trip. In the afternoon, I transferred photos to the computer and edited them, sent journal notes and pictures to Connie, and wrote a card and letter to Ruth I. for her birthday. We also went for another walk together. This evening, we listened to a message by Pastor W from I Peter 2:11,12, Look Beyond Today. 1) The thoughts of the lost around us—they are against us and against Christ; they think of us as evil doers. Look beyond today and realize that their thoughts can be different. They may reject God today, but they may glorify God tomorrow. 2) Their thoughts tomorrow. There is a day of visitation. John 1:9, light is what reveals sin. There comes a point when God’s light shines on every man. They can choose to accept or reject it. 3) The difference: the godly lifestyle of the believer. Remember, you are dearly beloved; but you should be different from the world. You are a stranger. Your language is different. You look different. Your manners and actions are different. “19Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. 20And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.” Mark 5:19,20 As soon as Jesus told him to go and tell, he went and began to tell. December 25. Praise the Lord for another nice day! After breakfast and quiet time, we packed up a few things and headed for the girls’ house. It was already 9:30 when we arrived this morning. There were several things to do before going out this afternoon. Printed out a letter to mail with a birthday card to Ruth I. After putting it in the envelope, I stamped and sealed the envelope, stamped another envelope with an anniversary card in it, and set those out to be mailed in the morning. Then I wrote a thank you note to take with us this afternoon. When that was done, I finished putting Patrick the panda together and took a few pictures. By then it was around 11:30 so had a cup of soup and a few Savoritz wheat crackers and then got ready for an early nap. At 1:30, we headed for Mel and Ellen’s house where we would have dinner with them, Jeremy’s family, and Mary Ellen’s family. It was good to see Jeremy again. We were sorry that Esther wasn’t able to be there as Bethany had gotten sick and Esther stayed home with her. Jeremy did the cooking (well, actually, Esther had already done some of it—beans and rice; and Jeremy was cooking roast beef on the grill). We enjoyed chatting with everyone and especially catching up with Jeremy and what he is doing. It was after 5:00 when we left to come back to C&C’s house. Had a little supper. Practiced crocheting cords. Had family devotions. Came home. Shortened the crocheted monkey’s tail. Looked at other crochet patterns. December 23. Today we celebrated our 49th anniversary. Praise the Lord for all His goodness and mercy.
This morning we saw God’s beautiful creation in the form of a bright full moon in the western sky above the pink and purple clouds. Took a few photos. Christy made us a nice spice cake this afternoon, and she and Connie sang “Happy Anniversary” to us. Then we ate cake. December 22. God showed us His beauty with a pretty pink and purple dawn. We praise the Lord for giving us a lovely day for an outing with our daughters, something we have wanted to do for a long time, but always something has come up to hinder that from happening. This morning, we made the trip to Charlotte together to visit the Billy Graham Library. Praise the Lord for safety as there was a lot of holiday traffic. Praise the Lord for the van getting us there and back. Praise the Lord for an enjoyable and interesting visit and a good time together. After our tour of the library, we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. Then headed home. Left the girls off at their home and then went to our apartment for a late, but welcome, afternoon nap. This afternoon (what was left of it) and part of the evening, I worked on the music book to go with the Aleluya 1 song book. Early this evening, Cilla called, and I enjoyed a nice chat with her. Then I finished my supper, put some veggies on to cook, and did the dishes. Listened to Adrian Rogers’ message, People That God Uses (How to Be Used of God) from Judges 6:11-16, the story of Gideon. Don’t say “Who am I, that God could use me?” 1) God uses common people, v. 14. God did not see Gideon as he was. He saw him as he could be with God’s power in him. Cf. I Corinthians 1:26ff. 2) God uses cleansed people. 3) God uses courageous people. 4) God uses cautious people. 5) God uses confident people. Started on another crochet project. “For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” (Proverbs 3:26) “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.” (Proverbs 14:26) “35Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:35,36)
December 19. After we got home last night, I crocheted until bedtime and nearly finished the hat. Finished it off this morning before we left for the girls’ house. Once at the girls’ house, I made a smoothie to drink, modeled the cowl and hat for Connie to take pictures, set up the computer, wrote a couple e-mails. When Daddy took Connie to Dr. Ellison’s for her 11:00 appointment, I used part of the quiet moments to continue my prayer time. Lastly, before lunch, I packed a box to be mailed to PNG. After nap, I worked on finding music to go with the Aleluya song book. Needed to cook some veggies for my supper so started on that around 4:30. After eating supper, there was cleanup to do in the kitchen and dishes to wash. Pastor Ogle preached this evening from Luke 15:3-10, Causing Heaven to Shout Hallelujah. 1) Salvation requires a Savior, a rescuer. When we search for something, we search for it in proportion to the value that we place on it. The Savior came to provide something that we cannot provide for ourselves. 2) Salvation requires a sinner. We must realize we are lost and need to be found. 3) It requires surrender, or repentance. Every time someone comes to know Christ as their Savior, there is rejoicing. “And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.” I Chronicles 21:24 Whatever offering I bring to the LORD should not be without cost. December 20. What a busy day! And what a rainy day! The day started out with soup-making. I didn’t really need soup before Saturday, but we have an outing planned for Saturday so had to make the soup today. It took a while to cut up potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, and apples. After adding some coleslaw mix, water, herbs, and spices, it was finally ready to start cooking. Before I could sit down and relax a few minutes, I needed to strain and renew the kefir. Soon it was 10:00 so we’d better head out and start shopping. There were several stops to make today. Lidl first for just a few items. We spent quite a bit of time at WalMart as we needed to return a juicer for C&C, find another brand to buy, and make and purchase photos. The grocery shopping part didn’t take long at all since we only needed a handful of items. We didn’t need much at Aldi either, but I met up with Corrine M and enjoyed a little chat with her. Last of all, we went to Crossroads thrift store to look for a small curtain. Didn’t find what we were looking for, but I did find a nice jumper. At last we headed home. It was after 12:00. The weather was very wet and the traffic was very heavy. I was surprised how many people were out shopping on a nasty day like today. Have to get their last-minute Christmas shopping done, I guess. By the time we got home, we were hungry, but had to put the food away first. About the time my food was warmed up and ready to eat, “G” came to the door. He wanted to wish us a merry Christmas. Hadn’t seen him for weeks. We were finally able to give him the newsletter we had made ready for him and to let him know our current plans. After nap, I made a small vitamin order before pureeing and bottling the soup and getting it put away. I should have enough soup now to last until we leave, or almost anyway. After supper, I washed the dishes, and we listened to a message by Adrian Rogers about grace and faith, and I crocheted the rest of the evening. “14Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Mark 1:14,15 Jesus came preaching the gospel. His message was “repent and believe the gospel.” That is why he came. He came to preach the gospel. He came to save the lost through repentance and faith in the gospel. December 21. First official day of winter. I heard it raining really hard around 5:00 this morning. Thankfully the rain slowed down and had pretty much stopped by the time we left for the girls’ house this morning. Upon arrival at C&C’s house, I said good morning to Connie and Freddie, put food away in the fridge, and started the laundry. Then I made a smoothie and drank it, got the computer up and running, and looked at the mail that was on our desk. Shortly the clothes were done washing so I went and sorted them out, putting some in the dryer and hanging others around the house. When that job was done, Daddy took me out to Dollar Tree to look for greeting cards for birthdays and anniversaries that are coming up. That took a while because the choices were somewhat slim, especially for anniversary cards. While I was looking at cards, Daddy went and picked out some Sudoku books. We also got some craft glue for Connie and looked to see if there might be a small white curtain, but there wasn’t. The checkout lines were somewhat long so it took a while to check out. Made a quick stop at Family Dollar to see if there might be a suitable curtain there, but there wasn’t so we headed home. By then it was going on 12:00 so I went ahead and had lunch. During lunch hour, I got the clothes out of the dryer and crocheted a few more feet for Callie Caterpillar. This afternoon, I looked through past mail and started answering some overdue letters. Finished one letter and also got an encouragement card ready to go out in the mail in the morning. Then I finished packing the box I had started a few days ago with some items for PNG that couldn’t be sent by ship. That is all taped up now and just needs a shipping label and then can be mailed. A pastor called Daddy this afternoon; and, praise the Lord, the church is going to be sending us a very generous gift to pay our airfare to PNG. This evening, I crocheted the rest of Callie’s legs and sewed them on. We all listened to an Adrian Rogers’ message entitled Four Steps to Victory. He talked about how the Lord brought Israel OUT of Egypt, the world of sin, and INTO Canaan, the land of victory. But many of them never entered into victory. The had drunk from the spiritual Rock, Jesus Christ; but then came Amalek, the flesh. There are many believers today who have never won the battle over Amalek. They have never entered into Canaan. After prayer, I took some pictures of Callie caterpillar; and we packed up and came home. “1O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. 2Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. 3Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people…. 11Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. 12Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice 13Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” Psalm 96:1-3,11-13 It is the desire and commandment of God that the whole earth sing unto Him, bless His name, and show forth His salvation daily. Thus we must declare His glory among the heathen and declare His wonders among all people, that not only may all people rejoice and sing, but that the heavens and the earth, the sea and all therein, the fields and all therein, and all the trees may rejoice before the LORD. For the LORD is coming, and He will judge the world with righteousness and with His truth. December 17. Praise the Lord for another nice day—sunny and warmer, but a cool breeze blowing. Had a little extra work to do in the kitchen this morning, but I was able to review my memory verses while I was working. Cooked sunny-side up eggs to go with Lewis’s pancakes and cooked a small pot of red bulgur (wheat) to go with my veggies. Right after my breakfast and prayer time, Daddy and I checked I Timothy 2. We thank the Lord for His help in checking that and in getting it set up in the print file. After that, we went out for a stretch in the fresh air. When we came back in, I had a cup of coffee. Then I put out clean towels that had been brought to us this morning, and we made the bed with the clean linens. After a little snack, I went through the e-mails, answering a couple and deleting others. Got last week’s journal notes set up and ready to send to Connie. And sent November progress report to Pastor Ogle. After lunch, I transferred and edited photos. This afternoon, we even turned the heater off and opened the door for a while. The sun was brightly shining, and it was near 60º out. Felt so good to have the fresh air coming in. We also went for another walk while it was so nice out. Didn’t want to come in, but there was work to do. Got the journal notes and pictures sent off to Connie. Spent the rest of the afternoon working on the music book for the Aleluya songs. This evening, I worked on crocheting. We listened to another of Adrian Rogers’ messages entitled How to Have a Rock-Solid Faith, based on Romans 5:1-5. What develops a rock-solid faith? We have been justified; we have salvation, and we have peace. We have grace in which to stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. But, not only so... We don’t just have a life of peace and hope without, first of all, conflict (tribulation); which brings constancy (patience); which develops character (experience); and the experience gives us hope, such a hope that we will never be ashamed (we will never be disappointed). Hope is not a maybe, a could be…. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast…. Hebrews 6:19a Our hope is an anchor for the soul. It is sure. It is stedfast. It is a rock-solid faith. After the message, I washed the dishes and had a snack. Also did more crocheting. December 18. Woke up a little bit early so got up and had my shower. While I was having my morning drinks and reviewing memory verses, I was also able to finish the last few rows of crocheting and get all the ends hidden. We left for C&C’s house somewhere around 9:00. After getting things put away in the fridge and getting the computer set up, I read e-mails. Connie took a couple pictures of me with the cowl I had just finished. Then I made a smoothie, and Daddy and I checked I Timothy 3. Praise the Lord for His help with that. Before getting things set up in the print file, I put some rice on to cook for Daddy’s dinner. Just before and after dinner I looked over another chapter of Hebrews and made a few changes. This afternoon, Daddy and I planned out a small shopping list of items to have friends purchase for us to have upon our arrival in PNG. After that I worked on a Pidgin Sunday school lesson. Did a little crocheting this evening, trying to use up the leftover white and light blue yarn to make a hat to match the cowl. Washed a large amount of dishes, and then we all listened to a very interesting message by Adrian Rogers entitled Five Ways to Draw Closer to Jesus, based on the story of Ruth, comparing Ruth to a believer in Christ and Boaz to Christ our Kinsman Redeemer. We must be clean, Ruth 3:3—we are clean through the Word, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. We must be anointed (v.3) with fragrant oil—the fragrancy of the Holy Spirit must dwell in our lives. We must be clothed with proper raiment (v.3)—righteousness. We must humble ourselves at the feet of our Redeemer, v.4. We must be fully committed to doing His will, v.5,6 As a result, Ruth received a blessing, v.15. Added thought from F.B. Myer: when we trust our Redeemer with any matter, he will not rest until he finish it, v.18. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6 |
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