November 18. A little frost on the car windshield this morning. I was thankful that Daddy started the car a few minutes ahead of time so it wouldn’t be icy cold when we got in. Today the Ambassador Baptist Church ensemble and Alton Beal were at EBC. Bro. Beal preached in the first service from Titus 2:11-13—Amazing Grace. What is grace? God’s unmerited favor; kindness shown to us even though we don’t deserve it. We don’t deserve it, but God gives it to us anyway. Why is grace so amazing? 1) Because we are saved by grace, v. 11. It brings salvation. It has appeared to all men—it has no discrimination. 2) Because it sanctifies us, v. 12. It guides us through life. It teaches me to say no temptation and yes to God. It guides me moment by moment. It teaches us rejection of ungodliness and worldly lusts. It teaches me to be progressively more like Jesus, both in action and attitude. It teaches me reception of sober, righteous, godly living. In this present world - this was written from prison. Every day the grace of God can guide me in the way I should go. 3) It sustains me, II Corinthians 12:9. God’s grace is enough—it will never run out. In between services, I sang, prayed, listened to instrumental hymn music, and crocheted. In the second meeting, Dr. Beal’s, text was Romans 10:1. When is the last time that you had your heart set on someone who needs to be saved? Paul, in this verse, speaks about 1) family—his spiritual brothers and sisters and his family Israel. Paul is sharing his heart with his spiritual family about his prayer for his family according to the flesh. Paul also speaks about 2) feeling. Christianity should not be emotion-led; neither should it be emotion-less. Paul had a strong desire to see God work mightily in the lives of his kinsmen according to the flesh. When is the last time you had a great heaviness and continual sorrow for someone to be saved? 3) Paul’s focus—that they might be saved from sin and judgment and sorrow. When is the last time you prayed for the salvation of family members? Without a burden, we will not see souls saved. This afternoon and evening, I finished crocheting Rainbow Teddy that I started yesterday. We also listened to a Sunday school lesson by Pastor Weiss entitled Stewarding the Gospel, another lesson on soul-winning. I’m thankful the Lord keeps that great commission before our eyes. The lesson this evening was part 1, Mark 16:15 and I Corinthians 15:2,3. 1) His command is our priority. The most precious gift that can ever be brought into your life is the truth of the gospel. The gospel is very simple. You are not required to be a theologian to share the gospel. It is not our responsibility to give an answer to every objection, but just to share the gospel. Luke 15:4,5. 2) The gospel is a trust. The gospel is more than facts. It is a treasure that God has committed to our trust. 3) Soul-winning is an investment. It is a wise investment. You can choose to be a soul-winner. This evening, I also took some pictures of Rainbow Teddy, washed up the few dirty dishes that were in/at the sink, and looked for yarn for the next project. “5My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. 6The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. 7For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 2:5-7 Although these words were spoken to the Levitical priesthood, God has given us a covenant of life and peace through the shed blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore the law of truth should be in our mouths; no iniquity should be found in our lips; we should walk with God in peace and equity and turn many away from iniquity; our lips should keep knowledge and we should seek the law from God’s own mouth, that is, from His word. For we are the LORD’s messengers to take the word of the Lord to the whole world.
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November 16. Icy cold this morning, with ice on the car windows. Daddy was busy scraping the windows while I was getting my breakfast. I was thankful that he started the car warming up while I was getting things together to take to Windcrest. After we got here, I put food away and started the laundry. Then, since my computer was VERY slow and wanted to restart and then run a scan, Connie found a nice button for my bilum and I got that sewed on. Then I had her take a couple pictures. When the computer was finally ready to operate, I printed out a couple copies of the newsletter (one for a pastor who had given Daddy a gift on Wednesday evening, and one for “G”). By then the clothes were done washing so I sorted those out and put them in the laundry basket. Daddy braved the cold and hung them all outside. He said it was “nice” out. Then I found mailing information for JAARS, which info “G” had asked for, and wrote that down on his copy of the newsletter. By that time, it was after 10:30. Turned on the oven and put my acorn squash in to start cooking. A little bit later, I made Daddy’s pizza and stuck that in the oven. For the rest of the day, I worked on the MTP culture course. This evening, I tried to find crochet patterns and decided what to crochet next. Then this evening, we spent quite a while talking with Martha on Skype. “12Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; 13That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.” Psalm 94:12,13 These two verses are part of the portion of Scripture I am just starting to memorize, but through them, I was reminded of Pastor Weiss’ sermon on discipline. Chastening is part of God’s way of teaching us; and those who endure chastening are not only happy, but the LORD will give them rest in time of adversity. A wonderful promise! November 17. Another cold morning, but with clear skies and sunshine. We are thankful not to have had to go out anywhere this morning. Both of us slept in until 7:00. It felt good to get a little extra rest. Was thankful to be able to get the rest of the newsletters out for acknowledging supporters, the ones that go by e-mail. When that job was done, Daddy and I went out for a welcome walk in the fresh air. It is such a pretty day—bright blue sky, not too cold, and not much wind. When we came back in, I prepared a pot full of carrots, spring onions, and kale and put that on the stove to cook. My time after nap was spent searching for crocheted toy patterns and starting a crocheted teddy bear. We also went for another nice walk, and I washed the dishes just before supper, so I wouldn’t have them to do when we got home this evening. Had a special birthday surprise at the girls house this evening. They had the table all decorated; a happy birthday banner hanging above the stove; cashew nuts, date pieces, and chocolate chips set on the table, as well as plastic spoons, paper napkins, and happy birthday paper plates; and a heart-shaped Jel (like jello) (to take the place of a cake) sitting on the counter. Then they brought me out a little gift bag with cards from Daddy and from them, money gifts, and a snowman cup. After we devoured some birthday snack, we played a game of Bible Apples to Apples. Then we had prayer and got ready to come home. I’m so thankful for my family and for a nice evening together. November 14. Still rainy today, but just light rain. Quite chilly. First order of business after arriving at C&C’s house was to get acknowledgments written on the donor newsletters and get those ready to go out in the mail. Then Daddy and I spent the rest of the morning ploughing through Colossians chapter 2 and seeking to get that accurate and as readable as possible. It was a difficult section, and we do praise the Lord for His help. I made corrections in the computer file immediately after lunch while they were fresh in my mind. After nap, I got that chapter set up in the print file, as well as the English for chapter 3. Made the shopping list. Worked for a while on the culture course. Had supper and did dishes. Worked a little more on the culture course. Pastor’s teaching tonight was based on Ephesians 5:20, character quality of gratefulness. Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God. We are to have a thankful heart ALL the time for EVERYTHING. Philippians 4:6. Gratefulness is “Appreciation of benefits received, looking for appropriate ways to express appreciation to others.” Do you make it a habit to thank God for the little things in life that others take for granted? You must make thankfulness a part of your daily life. 1) Gratefulness, or thanksgiving, is a commandment of God, I Thessalonians 5:18. If I am not thankful, I am out of the will of God. 2) We are ungrateful by nature. That’s why God has to command us to be grateful. Romans 1:21; II Timothy 3:1,2. 3) We must learn to be grateful. a) Recognize that all good things come from God. Even the things we don’t think are good are given to us from God for good reasons. b) Learn to express thankfulness. I Timothy 2;1; Psalm 100. I finished crocheting the bilum handle before we came home and attached it to the bilum after we came home. “1A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100 Truly we have good reason to be thankful—the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to ALL generations. November 15. A very rainy morning, and cold and windy too. We did not go out early to shop. Right after my breakfast and quiet time, we started checking Colossians chapter 3 and finished the first 17 verses. By then the rain had slowed down significantly so we decided to go ahead and get ready to go shopping. It was around 10:00 when we left the house, and we were back home by 11:30 after stops at Lidl, WalMart, and Aldi. It was still icy cold out, and we were thankful to get back to our little, warm apartment. After getting the food put away, we had lunch. I crocheted a few minutes before nap. After nap, we finished checking Colossians 3; and then I got the corrections made in the computer and got that chapter set up in the print file, along with the English for chapter 4. Praise the Lord for His help with some difficult sections. By then it was time to start supper. I didn’t get time this morning to make something for Daddy’s dinner so this afternoon, I cooked chicken ‘n’ gravy with rice. While dinner was cooking, I worked on culture lessons. Early this evening, we listened to another message by Pastor Weiss from Hebrews 12:7-13, How We Handle Discipline Makes All the Difference. Good discipline is pro-active, it puts a child in a situation ahead of time to help him learn how to behave in that situation before an actual situation comes up. Discipline is not just corrective or a means of punishment. Very often the hard things that come into our life are God’s preparing us for something that we will have to face later so we will know how to properly respond. God chastises us so that we can learn things that are necessary for life. When we receive discipline, it is not always that we have erred. How we handle the discipline will determine how we handle other things in life. When adversity comes into our life, Satan wants us to be weak-kneed. We can handle discipline properly when we realize three things by faith: 1) The purpose of the discipline, v.10—God does it for my profit—that I may be partaker of His holiness. What will make me happy in life is not things, it is holiness. 2) The end of the discipline, v.11. Afterward…. There is an end to the discipline. It is the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Isaiah 32:16-18. 3) The origin of the discipline, vv 7,8. Why does God do this? Because He is our Father. We are not illegitimate children. This discipline came directly from my Father. Faith is taking what God gives to us and saying “I know this comes from God.” When you receive discipline, you are at a crossroads. How are you going to respond? Proverbs 3:5-14. The greatest discipline of all is when God brings conviction of sin in your life. Internet went out about ten minutes before the message ended so while we were waiting for the recording to run ahead to that spot, I went ahead and washed the dishes. I also finished crocheting the two pockets for my bilum and attaching them to the inside of the bilum. Made a loop too for a closure on top of the bilum. Just need a button now on which to hook the loop. Maybe Connie has a big button I can use. “9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.” Hebrews 12:9,10 November 12. A chilly, rainy day. Christy had the day off for celebration of Veterans Day so we decided to come over to their house today instead of tomorrow. Christy was still out shopping when we got here. It took me a while to get the newsletter changed to jpg and then PDF. Things just didn’t want to cooperate and come out right. Then I had to get the newsletter address list reorganized and e-mail the newsletter and address changes to Christy. At 11:00, I was finally able to get a smoothie made. I was getting rather hungry by then. After that, I was able to print out several copies of the newsletter to be mailed to donors. Then I got out Connie’s old baby doll and put the baby outfit on it and took some pictures. By then it was lunch time. The memorial service for Charles Wesco, missionary recently killed in Cameroon, was held today around 1:00, and we watched part of that livestream before having our nap. It was a long service and was still in progress when we got up. Charles had an amazing testimony of dedication to the Lord. The rest of the afternoon, our family worked on a picture puzzle together, and I also did a little crocheting. Worked a little more on the puzzle and on crocheting after supper and also did the dishes. Daddy loaded up the car when the rain slowed down a bit. It was raining pretty heavily when we left after family devotions. “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 So thankful that the LORD our God is in the midst of us, and that He is mighty. I praise Him that He not only saves, but He rejoices over those whom He saves, He finds rest in His love for us, and His joy causes Him to sing. November 13. Another rainy day, but a lot less rain than yesterday. Not too cold either. We were thankful for that as we wanted to go out and do some shopping. But before we could go out anywhere, there was work to do here. I needed to cook veggies for breakfast so got busy with that right away. Prepared a pot full of carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower, and had my morning vitamin drinks and reviewed memory verses while I was working. At the same time, I started getting ingredients together for this week’s soup, and as soon as I had the veggies on cooking, I finished cutting up veggies and adding them to the crockpot along with water and herbs and spices. By then my breakfast veggies were done, and I was thankful to be able to get something to eat and sit down a while. That was also a good time to continue my quiet time. It was around 9:30 or a little after before we headed out to the stores. Stopped at Mighty Dollar first to get cloves for Christy. Also picked up a couple bags of granola and a bag of Annie’s organic cheddar bunny tail snacks. Since Believe In Abilities was right there close to Mighty Dollar, we decided to look and see what they had for clothes. Upon going inside and starting to look around, we were told that all of their clothing (except jackets and blazers) was on sale—a bag of 6 items for $5. That was an unexpected blessing. I found five blouses, and Daddy found the sixth item - a pair of trousers. Next stop was Lidl to get milk for Daddy. We also picked up a couple packs of organic ground beef which was still on sale BOGO. Last of all, we went to Goodwill. There I found three dresses (jumpers) for $4.99 each less senior discount. We thank the Lord for His provisions. We had planned to stop at Hospice Thrift Store on the way home, but it was already going on 12:00, and my feet and back were hurting too. So we headed home for lunch. This afternoon, I pureed and bottled the soup that I had made this morning, prepared journal notes from last week, transferred and edited photos, and sent an e-mail to Connie with journal notes and photos. This evening, we listened to Pastor Weiss’ message “Reasons We Whine,” Hebrews 12:3ff. When your Christian race gets difficult, do you whine about it? 1) We whine because we are not considering Christ, v. 3. The word “consider” means filling up your mind with this truth, or filling up your eyes with this sight. We must fill up our minds and our eyes with Jesus Christ. 2) We whine because we have forgotten the exhortation of discipline, v. 5. Two commands: Despise not the chastening of the Lord. Look at the Lord’s discipline as something precious. Job 5:19—”Happy is the man that God correcteth.” Don’t faint when He rebukes us. How can a person quit being a whiner? Verse six—realize that God loves you. He chastens because He loves. I also did up the giant stack of dishes (there always seems to be one on soup-making day) and did some crocheting. I finished the body of the bilum I’ve been working on and now need to make the handle; and I want to make a couple pockets to go inside. “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” I Chronicles 4:10 God was willing to bless Jabez because Jabez desired to live righteously and be kept from evil. God abundantly blesses His children who will walk uprightly.
November 11. Cilla’s 75th birthday. My, how the years have flown! We are having some colder mornings now and icy winds. Down to 26 this morning with a cold north wind. Pastor covered two churches in his message this morning—Thyatira and Sardis. Revelation 2:18-29, the church at Thyatira—the church with compromise. Brass is a symbol of judgment; God is a God of judgment. The commendation: they loved people; they were faithful in serving; they had faith and patience. The condemnation: they allowed a wicked woman to teach and to seduce others in the church to commit fornication and adultery, even leadership (my servants). She also led people to eat things sacrificed to idols. God was merciful—he gave her space to repent. The correction—unbelievers will reap what they sow; they will be killed. Those who did not follow Jezebel were told to hold fast because judgment would be coming quickly. The church tried to mix the holy and the profane. This is popular in churches today. Be careful that you’re anchored solidly to the truth of God’s word and not to a constantly shifting culture. Church at Sardis, the church with the empty words, Revelation 3:1-6. God is all-knowing. The church had a name that they lived, but God says they are dead. The commendation: practically none; there were a few things that remain and a few people that had not defiled themselves. The condemnation: they were dead; many were defiled; they had no spiritual power. The correction: strengthen the things that remain; remember what you’ve received and heard, and hold fast; repent. All of us have been guilty of going through the motions, doing something just because it was right, but not because we had a passion to do it. What is your normal way of living? Do you serve with joy? Are you excited about your relationship with God? Are you alive? In between meetings, I walked and prayed a little bit and also did some crocheting and listened to hymn music. The text for the second meeting was II Peter 2:1-18, You Might Be a False Prophet If…. You must beware of false teachers and identify some of their characteristics in your own lives. 1) The motives of false teachers: They counterfeit the real thing because they know there is value in the real thing. (From among you will come the false teachers.) They act like the real thing, but they’re not. They are liars. Their ways are destructive. Their motive is money (covetousness) - verse 3. Jesus didn’t even have a place to lay His head. Sometimes error can be followed by someone who knows better. Balaam knew the truth, but he rejected it because he chose to reject it. We must be careful not to swallow something that is not Biblical. 2) The manifestation of judgment: God will judge sin. It may be a long time. He is gracious and merciful. He longs for people to repent. God’s judgment is always complete. He will always accomplish what He wants to accomplish. You cannot be around wicked people and not be affected. Consider Lot—a righteous man who looked like a lost man. 3)Modus operandi: False teachers are polluted—they walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness. They are also presumptuous, arrogant, daring God to do something about them. They are self-willed, stubbornly obstinate. It’s all about me. They take pleasure in sin. They sin and they love it. They love to lead others into sin. They are phoneys—v.13,17. They are prersistent. And they are persuasive. Since we didn’t get settled down for nap until a little after 3:00, it was a little after 4:00 when we got up. I had just a little yogurt snack, wrote an e-mail, cut up the rest of the pumpkin and put it on to cook for my supper (I had put half of it in my soup on Monday), organized some addresses in the address file, and then had supper. After supper, I finished crocheting the baby hat which I started this morning. A little later we listened to Pastor Weiss’s Sunday school lesson on Stewarding Influence, based on the story of Joseph. None of us can realize the influence we have on others. The way to gain influence over people is to pass the tests that God gives. The first test Joseph had was 1) The test of persecution. Joseph resisted the temptation to become bitter. God has a way of turning persecution into an expanded sphere of influence. 2) The test of temptation: Genesis 39:2-4. If we are not 100% submitted to God, we will not be able to resist temptation. Joseph ran from temptation and let Potiphar’s wife know that he belonged to God. 3) The test of problems. Joseph suffered wrongfully. God’s delays are not God’s denials. God makes it look like it’s impossible. Don’t try to make it happen. Influence for God is not won by struggle, but by faithfulness. My next crochet project is a bilum (bag) a bit larger than the small one I had planned to take on the airplane. The small one is just a bit too small to hold all the things that I need to put in it. Got the yarn picked out and got a little start on the new bilum. “O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.” Habakkuk 3:2 Another prayer for revival. How revival is needed for our own country! God’s people need to hear God’s speech and be afraid. There needs to be a fear of God in our lives. November 9. A rainy, rainy day. Had to do two loads of wash this morning—a large load and a small. We forgot to bring hangers this time so had to borrow hangers from the girls to hang some wet things around the house. This is the third Friday in a row that we have not been able to hang clothes outside. Daddy and I then spent a good part of the morning checking over the translation of Colossians chapter 1. Around 11:00, Daddy called the embassy and found out that they had not received word from the immigration department regarding the approval of our visas. So it looks like it will be January now before we can do any traveling. The afternoon was given to completing the quarterly newsletter which I had started several days ago. This evening, I made Daddy’s pancakes for the next few weekends, took down and folded all my clothes that were dry, went through the box we had packed with vitamins and found the one I was looking for. Plus I decided to use the food supplements that were in there since it looks like we won’t be sending them to PNG for a while. Daddy spent quite a while talking with Amos this evening. He had some good news to share—the recent salvation of his second daughter, Evelin; of Matthew’s two youngest, Lewa and Trophimus; and of Tomas’s youngest, Sawe. Praise the Lord! At the same time, the church has had some trials. It is a blessing to see the church growing and maturing and learning to handle difficult situations on their own in a Biblical manner. “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” Proverbs 23:18 This is the verse that the Lord gave to Daddy in His Bible reading this morning and the one that we decided to use in our newsletter. It was a great encouragement to our hearts, especially at a time like this when God says, “Just wait a little longer. There will be an end to all the delays and waiting.” November 10. After breakfast and quiet time this morning, I wrote a couple encouragement cards for a couple special ladies at church. The rest of the morning was given to perfecting the newsletter; and, hopefully, now it is ready for printing. Praise the Lord for His help with that. When that was done, it was time to prepare spaghetti for Daddy’s dinner. In the afternoon, I crocheted more of the baby dress. Daddy and I went out for a walk in the crisp, but sunny fresh air. While we were walking, “G” came out, and stood talking with us for a good long while. We were happy to get back into the warm apartment after that. Then I crocheted some more and finished the baby dress except for the buttons and the flower. Sewed the buttons on right after I ate supper. Then it was time to leave for C&C’s house for our Saturday evening table game. After we got back home, I washed up the dishes that were waiting there for me, folded and put away my few clothes from yesterday’s wash, and had a light snack. While Daddy was taking his shower, I made and attached the flower to the dress, and now it is complete. “17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” Habakkuk 3:17-19 One of my favorite passages of Scripture. Always such an encouragement to my heart. Even though there are delays and long periods of waiting, still I WILL rejoice in the LORD; I WILL joy in the God of my salvation. I have a choice, and I choose to rejoice.
November 7. It was a little before 9:00 when we headed to C&C’s house. Before we left, Daddy discovered an e-mail from John Gray. Praise the Lord, He is still in control. We don’t know the purpose of all the delays, but we know that the Lord is upright, and that there is no unrighteousness in Him. I meant to bring our translation work to the girls’ house today, but since I forgot, I spent the working hours on the culture course. In the afternoon, I also made a shopping list and cut Daddy’s hair. Pastor’s text this evening was Proverbs 22:3, A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. Characteristic of cautiousness—Learning that unfamiliar situations may contain danger; gaining adequate counsel before making decisions; seeing future consequences of future actions; recognizing temptations and fleeing from them. Proverbs 14:15. Not every lack of caution is sin, but it may be dangerous. You may have been in the right, but there were serious consequences. You must practice caution or you will face danger or potential destruction. 1) Caution about commitments we make. Every decision and plan we make should match the word of God. Always heed the cautions of the Holy Spirit. Receive counsel. 2) Caution about believing everything you hear. Detect and avoid evil people. What influences your thinking the most? Caution is getting all the information first and consulting authorities before making any commitments. 3) Remember that the majority is not always right. Joshua and Caleb vs. the ten unbelieving spies. 4) Learn to recognize temptations and flee from them, for example, Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. November 8. We spent almost the whole morning shopping today. Went out before 8:30 to WalMart. Had quite a few items to get and/or look for there. Then we did some shopping at Aldi. Brought those purchases home and got them put away. Had a little snack and then went to Big Lots to look for some good snacks and a couple other things. Didn’t find much for snacks, but I was thankful to find some warm, fuzzy socks to wear to bed when my feet are cold, and to wear on the airplane because my feet get so cold on the plane. Then we went and paid the Verizon bill. Came back to the house again, just long enough to get a drink, because I had taken my bottle of water into the house thinking that Verizon would be our last stop. But we decided to go to Bargain Hunt to see if they had any of the other things we needed. We did find some good snacks there as well as a couple other things we were looking for. It was going on 12:30 when we finally got back home to stay for the day. The afternoon, after nap, was spent working on the culture lessons. Listened to a message by Pastor Wiess this evening, from I Peter 1:22-25, entitled “Seeing, See That….” Meaning being that “Seeing” or “Since” our souls have been purified through obedience to the truth and through the new birth, we must “see that” or see to it that we love one another fervently. This evening, I started crocheting another little baby dress that a friend requested. “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” Nahum 1:7 How glad I am that the LORD is good and that He is a strong hold in the day of trouble. Truly we live in a day of trouble, and how we need God to be our strong hold! November 5. First job this morning was to prepare a pot of carrots and broccoli as I was all out of breakfast veggies. Started quiet time while it was cooking and continued while I was eating. Then it was time to make the weekly soup. Got out the other bag of carrots to put into the soup, but they were spoiled. We had just gotten them on Thursday at WM so will return them to the store. Now what would I do? Oh, yes, I still have a butternut squash left that we had bought several weeks ago. Didn’t have a big knife to cut it up with so had to use a small paring knife to cut it up, peel it, and dice it. Also added lentils, beef bouillon, butter, the rest of the celery (just a few pieces), napa cabbage, apples, onion, and herbs and seasonings. By the time I got that on to cook, I was ready to sit down and take a load off my feet and legs. Finished my prayer time before opening up the computer and starting other work. Started setting up journal notes for Connie. Was hungry so finished up my leftover soup. Then Daddy and I went out for a walk in the fresh air. Then I read through and made corrections in the journal notes and sent them to Connie. Started work on a newsletter. After nap, Daddy and I went for another walk while it wasn’t raining. When we came back inside, I did more work on the newsletter while my soup cooled. Then I pureed the soup, and by then it was almost supper time. I was hungry so had an early supper. After supper, I crocheted for a little bit. Washed the dishes. Listened to a Sunday school lesson on injustice by Pastor Weiss, based a lot on the stories of Jacob and Esau and also of Joseph. Crocheted some more. Worked on culture lessons. Crocheted some more. “….do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?” Micah 2:7b Amen! God’s words do do good to him that walketh uprightly. November 6. The morning was warm and wet. While I was having my morning drinks, I put a couple eggs on to boil so I could make egg salad later for Daddy’s sandwiches. Also put some quinoa on to cook for my breakfast. After I ate breakfast, we started gathering things together to take to C&C’s house. We had errands to run along the way—a few items to get at WalMart, stamps to buy at PO and a couple cards to mail, a couple GNC items to purchase at RiteAid. It was just before 10:00 when we arrived at C&C’s place. First thing to do was say good morning to Connie and Freddie. Then put food away in fridge, make a smoothie, have Connie take a picture of the market bag, and set up my computer. I opened up the culture lessons file, but we got going on some discussions; and before we knew it, it was past time to get the potatoes ready to go with Daddy’s dinner. I hastened to the kitchen; peeled, washed, and cut up the potatoes, and set them on the stove to cook. It didn’t take too long for them to get done. Then I added butter, cream, and salt and pepper and whipped them up with the mixer. After our nap, I did get to work on the culture notes until supper time, completed another section, and got ready to start the next section. Had supper after that. Crocheted a little. Washed up a great pile of dishes. Crocheted a little more. We listened to a message by Pastor Leonard of PABC.
November 4. I thank the Lord for a little extra sleep last night as I was quite tired. It seemed like a long night, at the beginning anyway. I kept waking up, thinking that I had slept quite a while, and noticing that only a short time had gone by. It was a chilly morning, and I put the small heater on before my shower. A few minutes after 8:00, we started getting ready to head to C&C’s house. It was going on 8:30 when we got there so I set up my computer right away after saying good mornings. It wasn’t long before the church meeting started. Today, after review, Pastor Ogle just covered the third church in Revelation 2, the church at Pergamos, the church with a moral problem. Balaam had caused Israel to commit idolatry and fornication. It is believed that the Nicolaitans also taught laxity of morals. God’s characteristic—He is the Word. The word would be their condemnation. The solution to their problems—repent, or else…. God would use his word against them. After the meeting, I had time to make myself a smoothie. Did some walking and praying and then some crocheting and praying. Pastor Ogle finished II Peter 1 in the latter service, covering verses 16-21, The Sure Thing. You must make the Bible your final authority. We don’t have to tell you emotional things to stir you up. We don’t depend on emotion. We have a more sure word of prophecy. 1) The background of the story: Matthew 17:1-13. We need the stability that the word of God will give. 2) The Bible is sure. This book is absolutely trustworthy. Don’t follow your heart. The heart is deceitful above all else and desperately wicked. 3) The Bible is to be searched. Ye do well that ye take heed. You must give attention to it and apply yourselves to it. The word of God will make you right. How immersed are you in the word of God? 4) The Bible shines, it illuminates—a light that shineth in a dark place. Psalm 119:105. 5) The Bible is Spirit-filled, it is inspired. After nap, I made the edging on the crocheted marketbag, and it is now ready for use. After that, Daddy and I went out for a nice stretch in the fresh air. Then I had supper. We assayed to go over and visit “G” this evening as he had said he wanted to see our slide show. We had tried calling him several times, but no answer. So Daddy went over and knocked on his door. He came to the window and said he was down for the night. So then we listened to Pastor Weiss’s next message from Hebrews 12. His text was Hebrews 12:18-23 comparing Exodus 19:9-19; 20:18-21, “What Have We Come To?” What Moses came unto was earthly—it was a physical mountain. It was also a mount that was on fire. Secondly, what Moses came to was frightening. It was black. There was a storm and an earthquake. There was an extremely loud sound, and there was a voice. It was something unendurable. The people didn’t want to hear any more. It was so fearful that even Moses feared and quaked. What have we come to?—something heavenly. It is better. Ephesians 2:4-6. Mount Sion is in the heavenly city. It is not frightening, but comforting. There is an innumerable company of angels there. We’ve come to the church in heaven—we are there in Christ. God the righteous judge is there. The spirits of just men are there. Jesus, the mediator is there. And we are comforted through the blood of Jesus Christ which is there. “22But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:22-24) All this we have in Christ. It is already ours. In Christ, we are already there positionally. Yes, what a comfort!
November 2. It was a cloudy, rainy day. After breakfast we headed for the girls’ house. Upon arriving, I put away some food items in the fridge, set out the ground beef to finish thawing, put a load of clothes in to wash, made a smoothie, sat down to drink it and started up my computer. Worked a little bit on the culture notes until the wash was done. Put all but hang-up clothes in dryer and hung up the rest around the house. Prepared meat loaf and sweet potatoes to go in the oven a bit later. A few minutes after that, Ellen came by for a visit. It was good to see her and we enjoyed a long chat. I was glad I had prepared the food ahead so just had to pop it into the oven while we were talking. After Ellen left, we had dinner. Then had nap. The rest of the afternoon, I worked on culture notes. In the evening, I did some crocheting and we watched the livestreaming of the service from ABC, honoring Pastor/missionary Norman Johnston. November 3. Slept in until after 6:30 this morning. The first order of business after breakfast and quiet time was to scrub the bathroom floor—just the few square feet of space from the doorway to the toilet. Water and dirt get in the spaces between all the mini tiles and it really gets to looking messy after a while. The only way to clean it is with scrub brush on hands and knees. Daddy can’t handle that job because of his vertigo so I put my pillow inside plastic bags and used that to kneel on. So hard to get up and down with these old knees. After that job was done and we had rested a while, we headed out to visit Ruth. We had hoped and prayed for an opportunity to share the gospel with her. We don’t know why the Lord didn’t give us that opportunity, but it was almost like she didn’t even care that we were there. I felt sad about not being able to talk with her about her need of salvation. From Ruth’s, we headed over to visit some other friends. “J” came to the door and let us in. It was good to see them all. “D” and “J” are having their struggles physically but were happy to have us come visit. I brought “J” the two washcloths I had made along with some Castile soap we had gotten at WalMart. We headed back home a little after 12:00. Had lunch, did a little crocheting, had nap, did more crocheting, went for a stretch in the warm sunshine and fresh air, did more crocheting, had supper, did more crocheting. Around 6:30, we headed to C&C’s house where we played Boggle. It turned out to be a long game, but Connie finally won. We were late getting back to the apartment, and I found the dirty dishes still waiting for me. No one had washed them up while we were gone. 😊 I was thankful there weren’t very many. And I’m thankful we have an extra hour to play with tonight. But I don’t intend to play. I intend to go to bed. Good night! |
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