November 13. Shortly after praying yesterday evening about finding my shawl, I went to the bedroom and started getting out clothes to wear today. The first thing I found was the shawl -- in a plastic bag hanging on a hanger. Praise the Lord that He cares even about little things. Praise the Lord for His blessings today! In Sunday school, Mrs. Surrett started teaching the story of Ruth and the legacy she left for other women. Pastor Ogle preached this morning on James 5:1-5, The Abuse of Wealth, his theme being “you must never take advantage of others or God will plead their cause.” This evening he preached from II Corinthians 10:1, How to Respond to Others, or A Meek and Gentle Spirit. He covered a number of questions for searching our own hearts: How do you want others to respond to you? Do you want to be like Christ? Do you allow the Spirit to produce His fruit in your life? Does your walk with Christ demonstrate meekness? Do you allow meekness to clothe you? Will you listen in fairness? After the evening church meeting, Pastor Ogle met with teachers and helpers to discuss helping children with special needs. While they were having their meeting, Daddy, Connie, and I had a good talk with Bro. Walton about the needs in our neighborhood. He gave us some good input for which we are very thankful. The two most important things are much prayer and reading the Bible with neighbors who are willing. We praise the Lord for answered prayer and enabling Esther (Jeremy and Esther Lockhart) to get the rest of her blood transfusion today. We have been upholding her in prayer. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” I Corinthians 6:20 Praise the Lord that He bought us out of the marketplace of sin, paying a precious price – the blood of His Son, a price of highest degree, to redeem us for all eternity. Now our body and spirit both belong to God. In light of that, what would be more right or bring us more joy than for us to glorify God in both body and spirit, to allow Him to use both body and spirit in whatever way would bring Him honor and glory?
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November 11. Veteran’s Day. Wash day. Busy day. Did not hurry to do laundry this morning because it was quite chilly outside. Down to 39º this morning. Took shower and washed hair. Had morning drinks and quiet time. Put fresh sheets on bed and made up bed. Put away yarn not being used. Cleaned out and reorganized a drawer to make room for winter shirts. It was some time after 8:00, I think, when I started the laundry. Around 9:00, Daddy went off to town to take back the CD/DVD Writer we bought yesterday. He tried to find a reader both at Office Depot and WalMart, but couldn’t get one. Got the rear windshield wipers changed at WalMart and brought home a lovely yellow rose bud. The pink rosebud had dried out and died without blossoming out, and I was thinking as he was gone how nice it would be to have another rose. Who am I that the Lord should delight to give me that little desire of my heart? Thank you, Lord, for Your love to an undeserving sinner. I was nearly done hanging out the first load of clothes when Daddy returned. (The washing of that load had started over again when we had to stop the washer before it finished the cycle because it was off balance and wouldn’t spin. I had also stopped to eat breakfast before hanging out clothes. I was getting pretty hungry.) Second load was just about ready to hang out by then. Today I also printed eight red covers for pastor-teachers’ copies of the discipleship booklets - four for book 1 and four for book 2. Had printed pink covers last night for book 1 and orange covers for book 2, but realized the teacher’s books need different covers as book 1 has special notes in it. After printing the covers, I removed the teachers’ notes from the book and put them in a separate file in case they should be needed later. Then I had to reformat a bit to make things right for printing the rest of the copies of book 1. Got 40 copies of eight pages of book 1 printed. Will try to do the rest of book 1 tomorrow. Also got most of the notes proofread for the lessons on John chapter 6. Have one more lesson to proofread and one more to write and then proofread it. Then I can print those out for Mike. Whatever else I did today I don’t remember. November 12. We slept in until nearly 6:30 this morning. First thing to do after getting shower and dressed was make pancakes for Daddy. Then it was time to start my morning regimen and have quiet time. Spent quite a while this morning going through suitcases and other storage places, trying to find my shawl, but never found it. It must be somewhere. Finished printing the rest of the pages for the 40 copies of discipleship book 1. Next week will work on book 2. Also proofread the completed lessons on John chapter 6 and started on the last lesson. It was time to make a pot of soup again as I had finished up all that I had. Later this afternoon, Charles wanted C&C to come out and talk so they went across the street and talked with him for a while at the edge of their yard. One purpose of their going over was to invite “D” and his wife”C” to church, but “D” shut the door and did not come out and talk to them. Connie had taken over a Bible to give to “C” too so she put that into Charles’s hand to take in to “C”. We are so burdened for “D” and his great need for salvation. “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” I Corinthians 4:2 In I Corinthians 1:9, we see that God is faithful. He wants us to be faithful too. He wants us to be completely trustworthy to fulfill whatever task He gives us. We are to be people who are true to our word and can be counted on to keep our promises. November 9. This morning, Connie and I walked over to our backyard neighbor’s house to give the plant to Vaughn and a thank you note with a little gift to Michael for his help in mowing our lawn this past summer. Michael came to the door and took the gifts so we didn’t get to talk to Vaughn. A little bit after that, Daddy and I went out for a walk down to Ginger’s Salvage. On the way by our neighbor’s house, Vaughn came out to say thank you. As we passed the next neighbor’s house, we saw a lady coming back to the house pushing a little tot in a little child’s car. She is one of the new residents in that house, and her name is Maria. Her little one is 10 months old. At the salvage store, we picked up a couple individual bottles of OJ, cheese sticks, and a small bottle of jam that Ginger had opened to put on her liver mush and eggs. She didn’t want the rest of the jam. We also set aside a box of yarn at the store which we will pick up tomorrow. Spent a little while talking with Ginger about various things before heading back home. For Daddy’s dinner, I cooked a pot of rice and a pot of kale. There was fish to go with it, which I had cooked yesterday. I had soup and some of the kale for my dinner. This afternoon, I proofread all the Scriptures references in the discipleship booklets so the proofreading of those two booklets is now complete, and they are ready to be printed. In church this evening, Pastor Ogle covered Exodus chapter 4, entitled “Arguing With God.” Whatever God asks us to do, we must do it according to His abilities, no our own abilities. “4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” I Corinthians 2:4,5 The Gospel is to be preached, not with man’s wisdom, but with God’s. Our faith should not stand in man’s wisdom, but in the power of God and His word. November 10. Finally put the finishing touches on a baby outfit that had been waiting a while for buttons and ribbon. Got out Connie’s old baby doll and dressed it up for pictures. The outfit was a little large for the doll so took some additional pictures of the outfit by itself. Around 9:30, Daddy and I went out shopping. After that we went to Office Depot to get card stock for the covers for the discipleship books and also an external CD drive for my computer. My internal CD drive has stopped working. From there we went to Aldi to get a few groceries, to Kmart to return the alarm clock, to WalMart for a handful of other items, and to Ginger’s Salvage to pick up a box of yarn she had set aside for us. We arrived home just a few minutes before 12:00 noon. Daddy then went off to Subway. I put away the groceries and then went to open the CD drive we had bought. However, I noticed the name of the product was “CD DVD Writer.” Does that mean it doesn’t read? The main thing I want it for is to read, especially my photo CD’s. When Daddy got home, I asked him about it. He tried to find out online, but wasn’t sure. He called the store and, sure enough, it is only a writer. So back to the store it will go tomorrow. This afternoon, I transferred pictures to the computer and fixed and compressed them. Then sent some of the pictures to Connie. Then I did the dishes because there were already lots of them -- too many to wait until this evening. This evening, I finished another lesson from John for Mike. Just one more lesson to go, and lessons on John chapter 6 will be complete and ready to print and send to Mike when Daddy goes. November 7. Charlotte day today. Left here around 9:40, arriving at our destination around 10:40. It seemed like a short trip to me as I could not stay awake in the car and dozed off for a while. Made a quick stop at Neighborhood Walmart to pick up a couple needed items. Then Connie and I walked over to the chiropractic office while Daddy checked out. Dr. Schulman was busy today as were the two stores we went to. From the chiropractor’s office, we went to Earth Fare to get some bulk grains -- buckwheat groats, oat groats, amaranth, and quinoa. Then to TJ’s for our regular shopping - double this time, however, since we won’t be able to go next month as Daddy won’t be here and it is hard for Christy to take a day off after just recently starting her job. Arrived home around 2:45. Christy was already her taking her nap. After we got the car unloaded and groceries put away, we had our nap. That was about a half hour later. Enjoyed a refreshing hour-long nap. Did some proofreading of discipleship book number two before having supper and then doing dishes. Christy had to go out this evening for a work meeting. “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” I Corinthians 1:9 Praise God for His faithfulness! He is completely trustworthy. His word is always true. We can count on Him to do all that He has promised. With Him there is no variableness neither shadow of turning. Great is His faithfulness! November 8. Daddy and I both slept in this morning so the day started a bit late. We were all tired after yesterday’s outing, I guess. Voting day for the many who did not vote early. How will it end? Where will our country end up? May God’s will be done, and may God have mercy on the USA. Didn’t go anywhere to day. I was thankful to stay at home. Cooked kamut and fish for breakfast. The kamut took forever to cook, even after soaking it overnight, according to instructions. It was on the stove simmering for about two hours and was still quite chewy. Finished the plant hanger I had been working on to give to our back yard neighbors along with the pretty purple campanula plant we bought yesterday at TJ’s. Wrote a thank you note and a couple e-mails. Got last week’s journal notes ready to send to Connie. Looked up the difference between stock and broth since a lady in Aldi asked me that question a couple weeks ago and I didn’t know the answer. Daddy had his nap early this afternoon and then went out to get the car inspected and pay the registration fee. I had my nap a little later. This afternoon, I sent Connie the journal notes, swept and washed our bathroom floor, and swept the bedroom floor. “18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God…. 21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe…. 23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” I Corinthians 1:18,21,23,24 The preaching of the cross has power to save. It is by preaching the Gospel that men believe and God saves them. We must preach the Gospel in order for men to be saved. It is the Gospel that has power to save, not man’s wisdom, not man’s reasoning, not man’s writings, nothing else but the preaching of the Gospel. November 6. Another chilly morning, but a very pretty day. We set the clocks back last night, and I was truly grateful for an extra hour of sleep. This morning, Mrs. Surrett started teaching on “A Woman’s Legacy - Godly or Ungodly”, starting with the life of Eve and how, though she was created perfect and for Adam’s benefit, she did evil to Adam and left a legacy of pain in childbirth, a need to be ruled by her husband, and the shame of nakedness. She not only left these legacies to her next generation but to every woman who came after her. Principle form the lesson: “You must obey God’s Word, and keep your word, in order to leave a godly legacy for others. Pastor Ogle’s preaching this morning, which the Lord changed for him yesterday from his original plan, had as its text the first few verses of Romans 13. It covered eleven “themes” relating to the present situation in our country: 1) God is sovereign and He still will be after Tuesday. 2) God sets up authority. 3) God wants us to submit to authority no matter who it is. 4) God sometimes uses wicked people to accomplish his purposes. 5) God wants us to be obedient before it is illegal to do so. 6) Governments have always been polluted because men are sinners. (If we look to human government as our saviour, we are in trouble. 7) Wicked rulers do not spell the end of Christianity. 8) God wants us to pray for our leaders. 9) Just because we have a right does not mean we should always use it. 10) Good people can disagree, and should do so with love and grace. 11) Don’t be more American than you are Christian. (My citizenship is in heaven.) Conclusion: Will you pray for our country? This evening, Pastor Ogle reviewed some things that he had been teaching regarding apologetics. “But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.” Romans 15:21 It is God’s desire that those who have never been told, who have never heard the gospel, should see and understand. Who will go and tell them? Who will send them preachers? November 4. The Lord gave us a lovely autumn morning. The wind was slightly chilly, but felt refreshing as we hung out the clothes. Pecan leaves flurried to the ground by thousands as the wind blew. The wrens were back playing on the clothesline and hiding inside Daddy’s trousers. Much time today was spent in cleaning, getting ready for company tomorrow evening, Lord willing. Also made some fruit bars after I discovered the container of dried fruit that had been up in the cupboard for several months and been forgotten. And finished reformatting discipleship booklet number two. Found some unused kitchen towels and pot holders and set them aside to use for gifts for neighbors. Changed the dining room tablecloth from a spring to a fall one (that is, I thought it was spring - a pretty shiny light blue; but as I was removing it, I discovered it had nearly-invisible snowmen in the weaving.) Well, sometimes we do have snow in the spring, don’t we? :-) November 5. Quite a bit cooler last night. In the low 40’s by morning. Wow! What a busy day it has been! More cleaning. Food preparation for this evening. Daddy swept and washed the kitchen floor for us. Connie cleaned her bathroom and bedroom. She and Christy went through their papers and books on the coffee table, put away what they wanted, and disposed of what they didn’t need. Everyone did a bit of work in the kitchen. I cleaned up the crock pot which hadn’t been used in quite a while and then made sloppy joe mix in it. Also washed and cut up a couple small plates of raw veggies. Put drinks in fridge to get cold. Got out paper plates and napkins, plastic cups and tableware. Put snacks in living room. Around 6:30, the Rice family came, and we enjoyed supper and the evening together. Daddy had planned a little time in the word and shared some good thoughts about submission. “9And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. 10And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 11And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. 12And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.” Romans 15:9-12 Praise God for His mercy to us Gentiles. Rejoice, all ye Gentiles, with his people. Wouldn’t it be grand to hear Jesus sing? Maybe we’ll get to hear Him sing in heaven. How I’d like to listen to His tender voice singing! And then maybe we, along with His people, will get to sing with Him too. November 2. Around 9:00 this morning, Daddy, Connie, and I went out to Bethel Baptist Church to do early voting. Justin Brackett, Susan Allen, and Betsy Harnage were out in the parking lot greeting people. They were all very nice. It wasn’t very busy there so it didn’t take long to complete the voting process. Today I got the pictures that Lewis took on his trip transferred to the computer, finished preparing and sending e-mail updates to acknowledge supporters, and proofread discipleship book number one and made corrections in the file. A little after 6:00, we headed for church. Pastor Ogle was back and preached on Exodus chapter 3, his theme being “you must spend time with God in order for Him to speak with you.” There are many good principles in that chapter: We can meet with God anywhere, but do we? We must recognize that our God is a holy, pure God; and we should act appropriately. God uses individuals to accomplish what He wants to do. I AM = I was, I am, and I shall always continue to be, all rolled into one. November 3. It was a long day on my feet - shopping day. We left here around 9:00. Went first to Aldi. Stopped at Kmart to return a clock, but realized we did not have the receipt so did not go inside. Daddy stopped into Harbour Freight to look for an inverter. At Hobby Lobby, I got some buttons and ribbons for the baby outfit. Both were on sale. Next stop Big Lots; then Mighty Dollar; and after that WalMart. A quick stop at the meat market, and last of all Ingles. Even with all that, I somehow skipped over Office Depot on my list so we didn’t get there today. Will have to make it one day next week. It was after 1:00 when we got home, and my legs could hardly move by then. Daddy went off to Subway for lunch. Today was national sandwich day, and Subway was having a BOGO. Somehow I managed to remain on my feet and get all the groceries put away. By then I was mighty hungry and made myself some pumpkin pudding for my lunch. I had gotten a can of organic pumpkin at Aldi and some silken tofu at Ingles. Also got a butternut squash washed and put into the oven before we settled down for nap - 2:30. I must have been pretty tired because it was after 4:00 before I was back in the land of reality. What was left of the afternoon was spent making soup. This evening I changed font size in discipleship book number two because it was smaller than the font in book number one. We had our family time early so Christy could get to bed early, and then I did the dishes. “11For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Romans 14:11,12 October 31. The Lord gave us a lovely warm day today. This morning, I revised and printed out my November schedule. Then I prepared another Bible study lesson to send to Connie. Also got the monthly update written today. Around 4:00 this afternoon, we headed over to Mel & Ellen’s to spend a few hours with them. My, how quiet it was over there! It was a nice change. We came back around 8:00 so Christy could get to bed. She has been getting pretty tired from going in to work so early every morning. Just as we got here, there was a group of trick-or-treaters passing by; but they didn’t stop here. They were heading down another road. Most of the houses on our streets had porch lights off, and ours was off too. It was relatively quiet in the neighborhood. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:4 November 1. It was a nice warm morning, although cloudy and gray. We were hoping to get some rain, but the sunshine came peeking through later in the day. The air is changing back to chilly this evening. A little after 9:00 this morning, we were off to the chiropractor. From there we went to do Christy and Connie’s shopping since Christy has had to go into work so early and we wanted to give her time to rest after work instead of going out shopping. Their list wasn’t very long so it didn’t take us too long. Daddy also had new windshield wipers put on the car when we were at WalMart. When we finished shopping there and I was getting into the van, there on my seat was a lovely pink rosebud. Oh, thank you, Lord, for that pretty flower. After we got home, and this afternoon, I printed out a few monthly updates for mailing and e-mailed a few others. Have a few more of those yet to be done. October 29. Woke up a little before 6:00 this morning. Tried to be quiet in the kitchen so Connie and Christy could get their beauty rest. Didn’t turn the light on out there until we saw Christy’s light on in her room. This morning was busy with work around the house -- folding clothes, making the bed, hanging out Christy’s laundry because she had to go out and take Cindie to WalMart…. Around 11:30, Daddy and I went out for a walk. It was the first time in a while. It was a beautiful day for a walk. We went to Dollar General and bought a small footstool and a couple bags of candy. This afternoon, I printed out a copy of each of the discipleship booklets so those can be proofread. Then I cooked up a large pot of veggies -- garlic, onions, celery, beet leaves, cauliflower, and broccoli. For supper, I took a portion and added some broth to make it into soup. Also cooked a small pot of beets and carrots. “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” Romans 13:14 If we put on the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will not put on the things that fulfill the lusts of the flesh. The two cannot co-exist. October 30. Mrs. Surrett’s lesson this morning was on II Chronicles chapter 20, Facing Difficult Situations. An excellent lesson and reminder of what God has done as we’ve trusted Him and what He will do as we trust and praise Him in the future. There are many guiding principles found throughout that chapter. Some of them are: Recognize that God allows trials even when we are walking in obedience to Him. Seek the Lord when facing a problem. Pray and fast, if necessary. Recognize God’s omnipotence and remember His promises. Focus on God and His word, not on the problem. Accept God’s word about the solution. Acknowledge your own inability to solve the problem. Worship and praise the Lord even before the problem is solved. Acknowledge that God gives the victory, and refuse to fear. Recognize that God gives the victory, and praise Him Believe that God is greater than any enemy you face or may face. Recognize that you can’t improve on God’s solution. God’s working in your life can be an encouragement to others. When you allow God to work, He can do things you could not have done. We were all looking forward to hearing Mr. Bennett, with Silent Word Ministries, Int’l, preach to us today. However, he ended up getting laryngitis and couldn’t speak. Pastor Surrett preached instead, and we always enjoy hearing him preach. This morning’s message was on John 3:16, talking about seven ways God showed His love to the world. 1) God revealed Himself to mankind through creation, inspiration, and incarnation. 2) He gave us laws to help us and prevent chaos. 3) He gave us a foretaste of the penalty of sin. 4) He allowed us to love and be loved. 5) He gave His Son. 6) He reveals to believers His perfect plan for their lives. 7) He commissioned believers to go to the world with the gospel and tell the world of His love. This evening, he preached on Luke 16 about how the rich man changed his philosophy of life after he was in hell, but it was too late. When you die, will you change your thinking and wish you had lived differently? Now is the time to change. There will not be time later. “1We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. 3For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.” Romans 15:1-3 Christ gave us an example to follow in that He did not seek to please Himself. He bore our infirmities on the cross. If we are strong in the Lord, we ought not be seeking to please ourselves, but rather to please our neighbor so that he may be edified and have someone to help bear his infirmities. October 27. Early this morning, we heard police cars and ambulances and saw them go by on a nearby street. Later in the day, we learned that a young mother and three-year-old son had been shot and killed, and another person shot and is in the hospital. So sad. (A later news report said that they had arrested three suspects, and that it was a drug deal gone bad, apparently an armed robbery by someone trying to get money for drugs) After nap, I did have some time to work on the translation file before supper. This evening, there were plenty of dishes to do, but not quite as many as last night. Then I helped Christy pick out some fall/Thanksgiving decorations to set out. “1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1,2 It is only because of God’s mercies that we are able to present our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice. And it is only as we live in non-conformity to this world, being transformed by renewed minds, that we can prove (that is, discern, or test by experiment) what is God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will. October 28. Woke up a little after 5:30 this morning and was up before 5:45. It was wash day. The weather was cool (in the 50’s) when we hung clothes out, but warmed up to around 74º today. It was so nice to get out in the sunshine. Did a little work at the computer in between washing and hanging up clothes. Later in the morning, we all went out to Crossroads to see if there were any items left from the moving sale; but the store was already closed, and men were busy loading furniture onto a truck. From there, we went on over to Ginger’s Salvage, and meandered around for a while. Picked out a few craft items, but not much food that we could use. Talked with Ginger and a friend who was helping her. Left one of my testimony tracts with Ginger. Also did some work on the translation file again today, spent some time on the lessons from the book of John, and did a little crocheting, finishing the baby outfit, all except for the ribbons and buttons which I need to purchase somewhere. Couldn’t find anything suitable at WalMart. “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” Romans 12:9 |
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