July 3. In Sunday school today, Mrs. Surrett finished up the lessons on spiritual fitness. Pastor Surrett preached both morning and evening services since Pastor Ogle is away. His text this morning was Hebrews 11:6, and he preached about what the founding fathers of our country believed as seen in the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. There were four Biblical principles he noted that are in the declaration - God is, God is our Creator, God is our Judge, God is sovereign. This evening, his text was Hebrews 2:1-4, and his topic was So Great Salvation. Our salvation is great because of its stewardship (we are not to neglect it), its originator (the Lord), its judgment (far greater than that of the word spoken by angels), and its power. If we neglect so great salvation, the unsaved will reject so great salvation. Singing the patriotic songs today was joyful and yet sad as I thought on the present state of our country. I began to think back on my ancestors - men and women who came to this country for freedom of religion, men and women who pledged their lives and their honor to win that freedom; the first church I ever went to being one of the first Baptist churches in America; the many who gave their lives to make and keep our country free…. And now our politicians, who call themselves Americans, are trying to tear down our flag and take away our freedoms. “19But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19,20 We must do what is right in God’s sight even if men threaten to take away all that we have, even our lives.
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July 1. No walk today. Started laundry first thing this morning. By the time two loads of wash was done and hung out, it was too warm for walking. Daddy and I finished checking Luke 1 this morning, and started on chapter 2 this afternoon. I got all the corrections made in “Bai Mi Maritim Husat” (Whom Shall I Marry?) so that is ready for printing. Also emptied (or moved out of the living room) several more boxes today. Just two more boxes left in the living room to unpack. Praise the Lord for His help in all those tasks! “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 Only one way of salvation. Only one name. Precious name, oh, how sweet! July 2. Daddy was out early this morning trying to clean up more of the brush and rubbish in the back yard. It is starting to look nicer out there. After my breakfast and quiet time, I went out and scrubbed the two outdoor chairs we had brought over from the trailer. They could use another scrubbing before we put them on the front porch. Around 9:00, I went for the morning out with Christy and Connie. To market first where they bought some fruits and veggies. I looked around a bit and then sat on a bench in the shade and waited for them. Next stop was Hobby Lobby. A whole day could be spent just looking around there. We did spend quite a long time there, but I only bought three skeins of yarn, using the $10 gift card my special daughters had given me for Mother’s Day and a 40% off coupon Connie had printed out. I have 34 cents left on my gift card. :-) After that, we stopped at Believe in Abilities Thrift Shop, but it was closed. So we went over to Salvation Army Thrift Store where Connie got a couple items. Then we came home. It was almost noon. Had a good long nap today. Being out in the heat tired me out, I guess. Didn’t do a lot this afternoon. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 Oh, that our lives will be such that men will take knowledge of us, that we have been with Jesus. June 29. It was cool when we got up this morning, but started getting hot really fast. So Daddy and I decided to go walking around the mall. When we got there, however, we found that it was too early, and the doors had not been opened for walkers. We don’t know what time they open for walkers, but we thought it was before the stores open at 10:00. Maybe that has changed. So we decided to go walk around WalMart. The only problem with that is that it is too easy to stop and look at stuff. We ended up buying some markdown boneless pork chops and boneless chicken thighs, and some ice cream. We were out quite a bit longer than we had planned to be so probably won’t try that again, unless we need a little break and some time out together. After we got back, I finished fixing up the layout of the Scripture print file. Also got a new Scripture print file ready today to set up the book of Luke after that is checked. Spent some time working on the studies in John for Mike too. “8And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 9And all the people saw him walking and praising God…. Acts 3:8,9 There should be such rejoicing when we are saved, that other people will see what a joy it is to be saved. June 30. Half of 2016 nearly gone. Perhaps the Lord will come today. Daddy and I went walking at 7:30 today because we could sense that it was going to get warm soon. Only saw two people out to greet along the way. Before getting busy at the computer, I got chicken out to thaw for supper, washed potatoes to be baked with the chicken, got out an onion to put with it too, and made a zucchini-summer squash casserole. Cooked that casserole for a whole hour, and the squash was still hard. Cooked it for another hour in the afternoon when the chicken was baking, and the squash was still barely done. I guess next time I’ll partially cook the squash on top of the stove before making the casserole. Once the casserole was in the oven, I got my July schedule printed out, and then printed 100 of our brochures to use during our travels. Tried printing one of the PNG flag tracts, but kept getting a streak down one edge. Will try again tomorrow, and if it does the same thing, will have to do some trouble shooting. Also unpacked a couple more boxes. It will certainly be wonderful to have all those boxes out of the way and out of sight. Little by little, we are making progress. This afternoon, Daddy and I started checking the translation of Luke chapter 1. Then I got the chicken, onion, and taters ready and stuck it in the oven. While that was baking, I got the income report up to date. I thank the Lord for His help in all that was accomplished today. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord….” Acts 3:19 Repentance is necessary for salvation. June 27. Went for our walk earlier than usual today, before the weather got too hot. Went farther on a nice shady street, and we enjoyed the walk in the shade’s coolness. Today was letter-writing day. Got three anniversary cards ready, one to mail out and two to take to church. Wrote a couple e-mails and a letter to my sister. Making a new ministry brochure took a couple hours. Tried to find our old one on a CD or flash drive so I could just revise it, but couldn’t find it anywhere. Used an old printed one as a guide, and started from scratch. We were saddened to hear from a friend today letting us know that her Mom had passed away in her sleep last night, still hanging on to a false hope that her good works and indulgences would get her to heaven. “41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 42And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Acts 2:41,42 They didn’t have to be persuaded or coerced into being baptized. Neither did they have to be persuaded to join a church and fellowship with the other believers. They were so glad to be saved that that these things easily and rightly followed their salvation. June 28. Today was quite a bit cooler than it has been, and mostly cloudy. It was close to noon before we turned on the a/c. Out for an early morning walk again. A little bit later, Daddy went out to pay the rent and get a few groceries. I got a birthday card made for another sister and put that out with the other mail. Answered a couple e-mails and deleted a few. Got the Bible dictionary up to date, and started fixing some things in the layout of the Scripture print file. Made pizza for our supper. Christy and Connie went over to work at their old house. Received word from Famiri that the box of “Lav, Mesi, Marimari” (Love, Mercy, Grace) books had arrived and already been sent into Owena. Praise the Lord for that! This evening, I set up Pidgin Luke for printing and have that all printed now so we can started checking. “46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Acts 2:46,47 June 26. Today was the final day of family camp. We were to have all three meetings back to back, with dinner on the grounds between the second and third meetings People had returned from TN yesterday. C&C left early this morning to get Cindie. They took the crock pot with sloppy Joe sauce that Connie had made yesterday evening, along with some hamburger buns, and took the molasses cookies Christy made yesterday evening. This morning, Christy cut up some cucumbers and tomatoes. I cut up some broccoli, and we arranged them on a large paper plate, along with some baby carrots. Daddy and I took those in the cooler, along with a jug of water, and Christy’s bread. We left around 9:15 so we could pick up Kathy and Brandy. All the teens and adults were together for Sunday school in the auditorium. Bro. Alton Beal preached all three meetings. In Sunday school, he preached from Galatians 6:1, being willing to acknowledge the need for help, being willing to accept the help that’s given, and being a spiritual person who can give help with compassion and understanding. He talked about the relationship (we are brethren), the reality (there are times that we will be overtaken in a fault), the requirement (spiritual men), the restoration (helping someone so that they can be used again), and the remembering (considering yourself, thinking about similar problems you have faced and how you were helped or would have liked to have been helped). In the main meeting, he preached from Mark 6:45-52 - The Beauty of the Storm, and trusting Jesus in the storms of life. In a storm, God is doing a beautiful thing in a different way. He mentioned, first of all, the planning of the Saviour (Jesus purposely sent His disciples into a difficult situation), the praying (Jesus had a practice of private prayer, time alone with His God, and how much more should we), the panic (the disciples felt like they were alone, exhausted, without help, separated from the Saviour), the peace (Jesus calmed the sea and their fears), and the problem (the disciples forgot what God had just done; their heart was hardened). Sometimes we let the circumstances of our lives harden us instead of soften us. Interestingly enough, this story was my study lesson in John today, working on the lessons that Mike asked for. We had started studying John in school (in Owena) and finished through the first thirteen verses of chapter six. Before we left Owena, Mike asked if I could send him lessons on the rest of John so have started working on those. Right after the main meeting, we all had dinner together in the new building. We sat with Dale and the Stolikers and enjoyed conversation with them as well as some laughs. Around 1:30, we were back in the main building for the final meeting. Bro. Beal preached this time on the Lost Son, Luke 15 – repentance, compassion and forgiveness within the family. In the beginning of the story, we see the rebellious son running (full of “give me” - the root of rebellion). Then we see the reaping (money spent, feeding swine, hungry), the repenting (he came to himself - it was no long “give me” but “I am not worthy”), and the returning (a broken and a contrite heart was met with restoration of fellowship with his father). No matter how low a person may go, the Father is always watching and waiting with open arms to receive him home. It was after 3:00 when we got home. I was hungry because I hadn’t eaten much for dinner, just a taste of this and a taste of that. Warmed up a small bowl of spaghetti with some of the sloppy Joe sauce on top. Then lay down for a nap. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:36 And some day every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Oh, that men may confess Him now to the saving of their souls! June 24. A very hot day again. We thought it might rain earlier, but now the sun is shining. Washed and hung out clothes first thing this morning before it got too hot out. Finished sewing up a hem on a valance for our office window. Used a piece that I had cut off the tablecloth because the tablecloth was too wide. Daddy put up the curtain hardware for me. Emptied a black plastic garbage bag that had some pictures for hanging and a few other little items. After Daddy drilled holes in the frame of one picture so I could put wire through for hanging it, he put a screw in the living room wall, and I hung it up. Hung another picture in the dining room (a nice cross stitch of the American flag with the bald eagle that Christy had made quite a while ago) after rearranging a couple of the other pictures. Daddy and I went out to Subway for lunch. Made corrections for Mark 15 and 16 and got those two chapters set up in the Scripture print file. Proofread more of “Bai Mi Maritim Husat?” Emptied another box of kitchen things to put away. Did some studies in Psalms. Made a lace flower for a barette. That was a quick and fun project. “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” Acts 1:5 Baptism with water is important for our identification as a believer, but baptism with the Holy Ghost is of utmost importance for our effectiveness as a witness for Christ. June 25. A somewhat quiet day today. Emptied a couple bags and boxes. Hung up some pictures in our bedroom. Took apart a crocheted poncho so I can make another or a shawl that isn’t so bulky. Started making a lacy shawl. Printed out some important papers for C&C to take care of when we go away next month. Finished proofreading “Bai Mi Maritim Husat?” Daddy will give it another proofreading. Late morning, we all went off to Peak Resources nursing home to visit a friend for a short while. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8 We have already received the Holy Ghost; therefore, we have already received power to be Christ’s witnesses. We need to let the power of the Holy Spirit fill us so that we can be effective in witnessing. June 22. Finished crocheting a little pink bunny purse this morning. Then we headed out for Dr. Prime’s office. He worked on upper back, neck, and knees. From there we went to Aldi and Sav-a-Lot to get a few groceries and walk around where it was cool. During today’s computer time, I finished proofreading “Bai Mi Maritim Husat?” (Whom Shall I Marry) and reorganizing it a bit to get it ready for printing the rough draft. Will try to print that tomorrow so Daddy and I can each proofread it again. This evening was the beginning of family camp, the first meeting being at church as they usually do, with teens and adults together in the auditorium. Tomorrow folks will head for a vacation spot in Tennessee and be there until Saturday. Then we’ll finish up on Sunday with combined Sunday school plus morning meeting, followed by dinner on the grounds, and then afternoon meeting. Alton Beal is the special speaker for family camp. His text this evening was James 4:10, preaching on the plea of humility, the place of humility, and the promise of humility. Very heart-searching message. “30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John 20:30,31 The written word of God was given to us so that we might believe and have eternal life. Thanks to God for the written word. June 23. The weather didn’t cool down much last night so we turned on a/c units first thing this morning. It was up in the 90’s today. Praise the Lord, Daddy and I finished checking Mark today. I just have to make corrections in the last two chapters and then add them to the print file. Need to work on the dictionary too. Also printed out a copy of “Bai Mi Maritim Husat?” so we can proofread that. I was delighted and thankful to figure out how to print booklet pages without having to lay the document out in a different kind of file. Am very thankful for the usefulness of this printer so far. “21Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.” John 21:21,22 June 20. A nice cool night and cool most of the morning, warming up more in the afternoon. It was a pretty quiet day. Enjoyed a nice, but short, walk this morning. My legs are still too weak to go very far especially where the roads are hilly and I have to climb. Got last week’s journal notes ready to go to Connie and sent them off with a few pictures. Wrote an e-mail to friends in PNG and sent off a letter to be printed for Owena. The Lord helped Daddy and me to check over Mark 13 this morning and half of Mark 14 this afternoon. “And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.” John 19:35 John’s purpose in recording the events of Jesus’ death was so that we could know the truth and believe on Jesus Christ. June 21. Daddy and I went out walking a little earlier this morning. Managed to get all the way around the block, but legs, joints, etc. are still pretty weak. Received a really special e-mail from C. B. this morning. She shared this story, “I had the most amazing Father's day gift a daughter could get! When I called him yesterday he said he had some good news for me. He said that he watched my momma live out her faith in God thru the years and saw many of her prayers answered. He said that he knew why God had allowed him to live 96 years...then he said he had trusted Jesus as his Savior and is getting baptized in August! His voice was filled with joy and contentment!! When I sent messages to my kids, R... responded with 2 Peter 3:9. God does want all to come to repentance! Don't ever quit praying for unsaved loved ones!” Daddy and I also finished checking Mark 14, and I finished putting the rest of the corrections in the translation file and also getting it all transferred to the Scripture printing file. I was thankful to get up-to-date on all that. Have all the dictionary entries to do yet, however This afternoon, we went over to the trailer and finished up what we could. There really isn’t any more that Daddy and I can do so the girls will have to do all the finishing up. Some of that they can do while they have their yard sale. This evening, we enjoyed talking with Martha (Dad's sister) a little while on Skype. “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” John 20:17 What a joy it is to know that Jesus’ Father is my Father, and His God is my God! June 19. Thankful to the Lord for another cool, low humidity day. Mrs. Ogle had charge of Sunday school again, showing session 21 of Dr. Berg’s video on quieting the soul. This part was about overcoming despair and discouragement -- dealing with the nature of sorrow and of despair, and with the complications of physical illness and of overload. Pastor Ogle preached this morning about “A Man’s Character,” using I Samuel 16:6-13 as his text. His theme: Who you are behind the scenes either adds to or takes away from your ability to minister. A good description of David’s character is in verse 18, “Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.” This evening before the beginning of the meeting, they showed a short video of VBS. There were 11 or 12 children saved during the week. Praise the Lord! Pastor’s teaching tonight was on philosophy and making sure that our philosophy is rooted in the word of God. Do you have a life mission? Does that mission impact eternity? “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha….” John 19:17 Jesus bore His cross. Must we not bear ours? June 18. There was a nice breeze blowing in our window all night, and the Lord gave us a much cooler, less humid day today. It’s Saturday - house cleaning day. First I made Daddy his pancakes, ate my breakfast, and had my quiet time. I made the bed and folded a few clothes. Then Daddy and I went for a short walk while the morning was cool. When we got back, I sat down for a while to rest, and it wasn’t long before Ellen called. She and Ruthie were on their way into Shelby to go shopping and wanted to know if I would like to go along. Of course! Within a few minutes they were here. We went first to WalMart so Ruthie could get a road atlas and I could get another set of sheets for our bed plus some coffee filters for Daddy. Next we went to Big Lots where I got a Cool ‘n’ Comfy pillow, hoping that will keep my head from getting so hot when I sleep. Also got some more 3x5 cards and a large refill bottle of hand soap. Had a coupon for $5 of $15 so that was a blessing. Didn’t quite have $15 worth, but added Ruthie’s purchases to my cart. Next stop was Salvation Army thrift store when I got a cool nightgown and a cool blue blouse. My other nightgown is definitely too hot for the warm nights, and most of my blouses are made with warm material. Last stop was Zaxby’s for lunch. Enjoyed a grilled chicken house zalad, much more than I could eat. Ruthie and Ellen had the same except that Ellen had the fried chicken. It was a little after 1:00 when Ellen dropped me off here at the house. I was thankful to see that Daddy had folded the rest of the clothes for me while I was gone. So thoughtful of him. I was also happy to have a nap, and I did try out the new pillow, and it actually did feel cooler than my other pillow. This afternoon, we went through a bunch of music CD’s that Christy and Connie gave us, trying them out on the CD player. Put a few (mostly duplicates of ones we already have) in with the yard sale stuff and got rid of a few, but kept most of them. Cooked some chicken for Daddy’s supper (I had already had chicken today), and for Christy and Connie if they wanted some too. Tried out the nutmeg that our neighbor “C” had given us. Also sprinkled the chicken with Himalayan salt and a little sugar, but it seems like it needs some other seasoning with it. The nutmeg was quite strong and somewhat bitter. “Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.” John 18:28 The Jews in their enmity against Jesus were much concerned about not defiling themselves so that they might keep the Passover, yet they did not know that they were delivering up the true Passover Lamb to be slain as an eternal sacrifice for their sins. |
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