Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Buss

Saw this while walking on day. Anybody know what it is?
Buss is a new English word I have learned recently.  If you check my Poems page you will find it used and defined there.  I wrote a mother's day poem for our bulletin and have posted it there.  The week has been hugely busy thus my lack of blogging.  On Monday the funeral took up most of my day.  That evening one of our church members was taken by Helicopter to Waco and she had surgery today.  Tuesday we had our ladies Bible study but did not go down to Lorena for services there due to bad storms in the area.  We went to the grocery store Tuesday afternoon and on our way back home we got caught in a hail storm.  It was marble size hail and did not hurt our car.
I spent Tuesday evening trying to cull out sermons which I have selected for the up coming revival.  It was and continues to be a struggle.  I have the list down to 8 or 10 and I only need 5 sermons.  I am really looking forward to the Revival.
Today when we returned from Waco I went to pick up some dry cleaning and ended up having to make a 62 mile round trip to get it.  It seems their van broke down and it was going to be another day before it would be delivered.  I could not wait that long needing my suits for the up coming revival so I drove over there and got them and Janie drove us back.  We got back just in time for me to get to church by 6:00 so I could set in on the teen class.  I had told our teen's teacher I would do that and so I did.
On my day off tomorrow Janie and I are going to Canton trades day.  She has her eye on another piece of furniture that she found there and if we can fit it into our car along with our suitcase, suits, dresses and cart we will most likely get it.   
On Friday I hope to spend the day meditating on the sermons and praying for the Revival services.  Saturday I will be attending the Nutt Family Reunion and that will consume most of that day.  God bless you. 

Sunday, April 24, 2011

101

Another birthday party at the Ladies Bible Study
We had 101 at church today.  The services were good and almost everyone seemed joyful.  Sarah and Justin came by for a visit this afternoon which was a pleasant surprise.  We fried some catfish and ate lunch together.  They had gotten up extra early for a sunrise service and were noticeably tired.  It was a good visit and I would love to see them do that often.  Jason called while they were here and talked with them while Janie and I put lunch on the table. 
They headed home and we headed for our evening services.  There were not many at the services and we cut the service short so that we could go to the funeral home for a family visitation.  I will be preaching the funeral in the morning at 10:00 and have just now finished typing that sermon.  I often repeat funeral sermons.  I have a dozen or so that I like to use.  But when it comes to our church members I like to make them special and unique.  I am looking forward to this funeral for there is no doubt in my mind that she was saved. 
Janie has just finished baking cookies for the lunch at the church tomorrow.  She will make some baked beans in the morning to carry as well.  I am going to call it a day and try to rise early tomorrow to get ready for a busy day.  God bless you.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Easter Eve

Mother has been wanting this Sweet Gum tree cut down
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and I am looking forward to the services.  I will be taking the congregation to the tomb of Jesus.  We will arrive there just after everyone who was there has gone.  I will paste below a copy of the sermon for those of you who can not be there for our services.  I have been asked to post on Baptistville.org the audio of the first two sermons in this series and then this one as well.  I may do that when I get time.
Me bothering Janie while she is trying to work.
We have had a busy day today.  I got a phone call first thing this morning that one of our church members was taken to the hospital.  We went to visit with her and with another of our members that is in there still.  When we got home Janie mowed the yard while I trimmed the hedges and pruned a tree in the backyard.  She finished before I did and swept out the garage.  With those chores behind us we ate a bite and watched a little TV.  There is a movie called "Saint John in Exile" which is a one man two act stage play.  The actor is Dean Jones and he does an outstanding job.  We had not seen this in a while and really enjoyed it.  It put me in the right frame of mind for the services tomorrow.  The depiction in this movie of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is just outstanding.
While on the phone with Jason these 2 were trying to impress.
We had a good visit in Henderson.  I cut down a tree for my mother and she tried to help.  I told her not to but she would not listen to me.  After the tree was down I had to cut one limb at a time off the trunk and then drag it away so my mother would not.  It took me longer this way but with her having a cracked sternum she had no business dragging and piling limbs.  She seemed to be doing very well.  I noticed that her TV was missing.  She had put it in the closet because she said she did not watch it.  I don't think she has a radio so the news and weather will just have to take her by surprise.  When she was a youngster they had no TV so life can be lived without it. 
I had a long phone conversation with Jason.  They are doing very well.  We are really looking forward to our trip there in August.  Southern France is kind of like Southern California.  The people are nice and the weather is too.  My knowledge of French is not coming along as fast as I would like but I will know way more than I did the last time I was in France.  We went to France in October 2009 and walked or took the train everywhere we went seeing the sites of Paris.  We went again in August 2010 and traveled by car to see some of the local sites.  This year will be our third and longest trip.  We are going to rent a car and travel extensively this time seeing a lot more of the country.
My sister from Denver called and said she was spending the night in Kansas.  She is heading to our mother's house to spend the week.  The reunion is Saturday and I am looking forward to seeing everyone.  The sermon I will be preaching tomorrow is pasted below.  God bless you.

The Tomb of Jesus:

Matthew 28:6 “The Tomb of Jesus”

(Mat 28:6) He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

It is good for us to use our imaginations combined with meditation to journey to the places where our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ tread. Every event of His life and ministry here on the earth is precious to the child of God. One who loves the Lord will only come away from such a journey with a greater love and appreciation for His Master. It is to this employment of your mind that I call upon you to make even now as I lead you to the tomb of Jesus.
First let us consider the worthiness of this journey. Is it worth our effort to thus bridle our minds and coax them away from this present reality? I say that it is indeed and I lay before you the following arguments of proof.
First there is the value of the one whose tomb we shall visit. This tomb was the resting place, though a brief one, for the body of the greatest man to ever live. He is the greatest friend you will ever have. Yea, He is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Being your friend makes him a friend of sinners. Such ones are unworthy of such devotion as displayed in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He is the greatest teacher to ever exist. His knowledge in every subject matter excels that of men and angels, yea of any creature for with Him even the hairs of our head are numbered and not one sparrow falling from the sky escapes His notice. He is the most powerful being among all things that exist for even the demons, the angels, the sun, the moon, the stars, the winds and the waves obey Him. If you have lost a loved one and have ever visited their grave, if you have ever left flowers there and spent even the briefest of moments there contemplating their life and death then compare that one to the one whose tomb we shall visit today and you will be compelled to, with all haste, shut out the here and now and savor every precious second that we shall spend at Christ's borrowed tomb.
Second there is a need for this journey. It is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that the dogged cares of this world are excellent detractors. Our busy lives and the worldly influences which surround us keep or minds occupied to such a degree that we rarely if ever remember our Maker, our Redeemer, our sustainer, our High Priest, and Friend who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and who stands tirelessly interceding for us to the Father against the accuser of our brethren. We have been commanded to remember Christ and given two symbolic ordinances to observe that we might keep our eyes fixed upon things above. The child of God distracted by this world forgets that he is a pilgrim and a stranger here on earth. Distracted children of God forget that this world is not their home.
Third it is a beneficial journey. We will find at the tomb that which we need to stir our hearts and minds to revival. We shall find victory, joy, power, light, peace, and hope within the confines of this hollowed, hallowed, borrowed, rocky tomb which served as the receptacle for the dead nail scared beaten body of Jesus.
Let us now go to the tomb and let us be obedient to the command of the angel of God as were the women to whom the command was directed. Let us like them and like the angels, like Peter, and like John go now and see the place where the Lord lay. We shall first take notice of the exterior of the tomb and of the immediate area in front of the tomb. It is not far from the place where Jesus was crucified. It is a very short walk to a beautiful garden which has but one gate. This garden has flowers and herbs growing within the confines of its hedged fence. It has been well cared for by a professional gardner. Mary thought she was talking to that gardner when she was actually talking with Jesus, the one, by the way, who created the greatest garden of all, the garden of Eden and placed the man in it to tend it and be its gardener. This is not a graveyard. There are no other tombs here beside the one we shall enter. It is a garden and that is its primary purpose. That the rich man, Joseph, has chosen this lovely garden for his burial place is not surprising for it is beautiful indeed. See there is growing here mint, cumin, leeks, onions, garlic, figs, grapes, and dill. It is a productive garden and well tended. Notice here, before we turn our attention to the tomb, that some of the plants have been crushed as though someone has fallen upon them. These bare witness that the “watch” became as dead men for fear. Fleeing this place they have trampled over the plants taking the shortest route to the exit. Of what could these seasoned warriors have been so frightened? One angel of God, just one! One powerful enough to roll away the great stone with but a wave of his hand. One whose face looked like lightening and his robe long and white.
This garden contains the object of our destination. It is the tomb of a wealthy man. It is a new tomb which has never been used. It is a virgin tomb for the one who was born of a virgin womb. Why is it that the man of sorrows who had not where to lay his head while here on earth should be buried in a rich man's tomb. It is because He was the sinless Son of God. Like his birth place his tomb is in an unexpected place. To have the King of Kings born in a stable is completely unexpected. For one so despised and rejected of men to be buried in a rich man's tomb is also unexpected. It is appropriate for Jesus to have the best for his work on earth is finished. From the moment He cried “It is finished” Jesus will be glorified never to suffer shame and reproach again.
Now the moment we have anticipated has arrived let us enter the tomb. The great stone has been rolled away and the hollowed out rock bids us come. Do not fear to enter as did John but rather as did Peter enter with all confidence and courage. Is not a grave an unclean place by reason of the decay that is to be found there? That would be true enough were it any other persons tomb. On the fourth day the tomb of Lazarus stank of death and decay. Yours will one day do the same but this is the tomb of Jesus. Enter now. Breathe in deeply let the air pass through your nostrils. There is but the sweet smell of spices. There has been no decay, no corruption has occurred here. Though His body lay here for three days and three nights it did not see corruption. The skin worms have not been allowed to have their way with our Lord and Savior. No ants or vermin have been allowed on this Holy ground. Without being overpowered by the stench of death the sweet spices have had full reign here and have turned this place of gloom into the sweetest smelling place on earth. Let us sit here on the floor and abide a while.
Look at the ledge upon which His body lay. Here on this end was His head. Here was the place of His feet. I sat upon the floor because to me the spot where the Body of our Lord lay is too Holy to touch. For three days and nights His body lay here. His Spirit went to Paradise from the cross but His body was brought here. This place was just a temporary place to hold a dead body for a while. It truly was a borrowed tomb. Jesus returned it to its owner cleaner and sweeter smelling than it was when loaned.
It is peaceful here. The one who has just risen from this place has taken with him all our guilt and shame. He has taken with Him all our cares. He has surely born our griefs and carried our sorrows away. I sit here on this rocky floor a redeemed, ransomed, forgiven, justified, and sanctified child of God because my sins have been carried away out of this world as far as the east is from the west. What sweet victory we find here in this tomb. What peace with God we find here. Our garments are white having been washed in the blood of the lamb.
It is a formidable place, this tomb. Should that great stone roll over the door it would be humanly impossible for us to escape. We would be trapped here to await rescue. One day my body will lie in such a place and will be powerless to escape. My lifeless body will be held in the grip of death and the grave. O death where is thy sting, O grave where is thy victory. The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. The grave could not hold the Son of God and by faith in Him the grave will not hold me either. It is an empty tomb. It was emptied by God and not by men. That which is too powerful for man to do God can do. All things are possible with Him. He needed no angel to let Him out of this place. The angel opened the tomb not to release Jesus but to show the world that He had risen.
I can not help but think as I sit here in this tomb that it was my sins that sent my Savior to this place. I am the one to blame for His death. Yet it was God the Father who took my sins and placed them on Jesus. It was an act of Grace and Mercy. Jesus paid my debt and now I am free. I do not fear the grave for Jesus has had the victory over it and as its conquerer He will one day set me free from my tomb. He will one day come with a shout and with the voice of the ark angel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ will rise to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the LORD.
The last enemy to be defeated will be death. On the new earth there will not be found a tomb. There will be no graves and no grave yards on that new earth. Everyone there will know what a tomb is but will not miss them at all.
As we leave this tomb lets us do so with a grateful heart. As we exit the door let us rise from this tomb to walk in newness of life. Let us live victorious lives. Let us live without fear of death. Let us share the secret of our victory with those who are lost.
We have left the tomb the same way we entered it. We entered as mortals still awaiting our appointment with death and we have exited the same way. When we rise from our own tombs one day we will be immortal and incorruptible like unto Christ. What a glorious day that will be!
If you are not saved, if you have never gone to Jesus Christ in prayer confessing to him the guilt and shame of your sin and begged Him to have mercy on your soul and to save you from your sin then please do not ignore the drawing of God's Holy Spirit as it convicts you of your sin but believe in Jesus Christ and trust in Him and be saved now.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Another Funeral

This week at the LBS that tie I wore at our wedding.
Before we left Hillsboro this afternoon we got a phone call that one of our church members had died.  She was 91 years old.  She used to garden and loved to visit people in the nursing home.  She was our Sunday school class president.  We will miss her a lot.  They have tentatively set her funeral for Monday morning.
Janie drove half way to Henderson while I worked on my thesis.  I typed about half a page.  Lets do the math here; I typed for at least an hour and got half a page.  I expect the finished product to be about 200 pages.  That is about 400 hours of typing.  So to finish in 12 months I need to type 34 hours a month. That seems very doable.  But here is the catch.  I have another 50 books to read and probably another 150 3x5 index cards to fill out.
My mother broke her sternum.  She is doing okay right now.  She is supposed to take it easy but knowing her she will not.  I was told that she was out working in her yard this afternoon.  I am going over to her house in the morning to check on her.  I don't expect to get any work done on the thesis tomorrow.  I have to go by TBI to deliver some clothes in the morning also.
The new laptop is working great.  I have loaded DreamWeaver and like it so far.  About the only software item I need now is a CAD software.  I was using DeltaCad but it does not run on a Mac.  I will be searching for this Online so if anyone out there has any suggestions let me know.  This Mac boots in 20 seconds from a shutdown state.  It is very fast indeed.  God bless you.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

It's a Girl

Justin and Sarah
We had a good day Sunday.  I had a dream Saturday night that a complete stranger wanted me to teach him how to ski and to go with him up the mountain and in my dream I consented and taught and showed him what he needed to know.  Sunday there were two first time visitors in our services.  These two men did not know each other and I had never met them before.  I took them both to Calvary and taught them about what happened there and what it should mean to them.  It was far better to take them there than to take them skiing. 
I have been doing some writing the past two days.  I have enjoyed it a lot.  I was typing up my sermon for this Easter Sunday and though I will not read it to the congregation I will have a record of it for future reference.  Monday we did not go to the nursing home but I did get a lot of work done.  Today has been our usual Tuesday with Bible study and services in Lorena.  We will head over to Henderson sometime on Thursday where I will check on my mother and Janie hers. 
My thesis is about to take off and I expect a lot of progress this month.  If I get as much done as I plan I will email a copy of what I have done so far to my faculty adviser at the end of May so he can look it over. 
Sarah called us today with the news that they are going to have a girl. Our world has changed a lot with technology.  It use to be that "It's a girl" would only be heard when the baby was born but not now.  We are anxious for this newest granddaughter to get here so the spoiling can begin.  God bless you.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Sale and Salt

The skit
Janie and I left this morning to attend the district ladies auxiliary meeting.  The skit the ladies at Second Avenue put on was outstanding!  The scene was set at a garage sale and the ladies did a great job playing their parts.  The pastor of the church preached a really good message about Christians being the salt of the earth.  It seemed sad to me that of the 20 people that were there only 3 were from other churches.  The meal they served was really good.  I visited at length with the pastor and I really do like him.  Every time I have heard him preach he has done a great job. 
I have been working on a new database program for the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas.  The old database program will not run on this new Mac Pro laptop.  This new program is going to be a lot better than the old one.  It is time consuming to write but will save a lot of time in the long run. 
Another Parsonage Flower
Diesel fuel has reached $3.99 a gallon here in Hillsboro.  The next trip I make to Henderson will take a lot longer than it would normally.  I am sort of like my grandfather.  When snuff reached a certain price he cold turkey quit dipping.  When fuel is $4.00 a gallon I drive to get the best mileage I can.  I once drove 45 mph in a 70 mph zone just because I went from getting 42 mpg to 60 mpg.  Those days are back.  More time on the road does not mean less time for work thanks to technology.  The laptop will earn its keep on the road. 
This Sunday I will be taking the congregation to the Cross of Calvary.  It is a place that I do not enjoy visiting but have been commanded to visit for the Lord said "This do in remembrance of Me." 
Jennie E. Hussey wrote a wonderful hymn:
King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary. 
Show me the tomb where Thou wast laid,
Tenderly mourned and wept;
Angels in robes of light arrayed
Guarded Thee whilst Thou slept.
Let me like Mary, through the gloom,
Come with a gift to Thee;
Show to me now the empty tomb,
Lead me to Calvary.
 May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cup of grief to share,
Thou hast borne all for me.
Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
Well it is going to be a tough day tomorrow.  Reliving the scene at Calvary is emotionally draining.  God bless you.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Mac

This is my first blog typed from my new Mac laptop.  I have been way to busy to blog this week.  Even now I have just 30 minutes before my next appointment.  Monday started with a phone call that let us know that one of our neighbors had died.  He was a retired Air Force Colonel.  We went by to check on his daughter before going to the nursing home.  He was a really nice neighbor and we will miss him.
Janie at the nursing home banquet
I preached at the nursing home and after some visitation and a trip to the post office we got home to find that they had tried to deliver my laptop but we were not home.  Tuesday we had a first time visitor in our ladies Bible study.  The computer arrived that afternoon and we went down to Lorena for services there.  I preached them a sermon from Hosea chapter 14 " Seven Things God Wants to Hear From Us."  Wednesday I preached our neighbor's funeral which included a full military honors grave side service.  The Air Force Honor guard were amazing.  The gun solute, taps, and flag folding and presentation sent a chill down my spine.  Wednesday night the services were well attended and a lady stopped by asking for help with her rent but did not stay for the services.  She returned when the services were over and wanted some cash but when I would not give her cash but offered to help her with her presented problem she left noticeably mad.
Flower at the parsonage
I stayed up late Wednesday night trying to get my new laptop ready for use.  That went smoothly and it is working very well.  I have just a couple of loose ends to tie up and I will be ready to retire my other computer.  I will put it out to pasture in southern France where it will be put to good use in mission work.
Thursday night we went to a banquet put on by one of our local nursing homes.  It was a good time and the music was great. 
We got up this morning at 4:45 and headed out to Waco for a surgery there.  That surgery went well and when we got back home we worked on our taxes some more.  Janie found some more deductions for us and that saved us another $30.00 off of what we did owe.  After double checking everything we stuffed it in an envelope and it is now on its way to the IRS.
Tomorrow Janie and I will go to the district ladies auxiliary meeting.  Janie is the president of the district auxiliary.  It should be a good time of fellowship and when I get home I will put the finishing touches on the sermon for Sunday and do some work on my thesis.  God bless you.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

In The Garden

Janie and Michelle cleaning the lights in the Auditorium
There was a good turn out of workers for the work day we had at the church on Saturday.  Janie and Michelle worked on cleaning the lights.  They were brave souls being willing to get up there and work so high off the ground.  They did an outstanding job. I did this job a few years ago and it was not an easy one.  I helped clean light fixtures as well but from a 10 foot step ladder.  Janie would sit down as we rolled the rig to the next set of lights then she would get back upon her feet and start taking the light fixture apart for cleaning.  They stayed at it until they got it done.
Janie took this picture of me from her perch high above the pews
After we finished this major project and while others were working on A/C's and painting a class room we went outside to help the crew that was working on the roof.  There is a rail that had to be sanded and painted so we helped them paint the rail.  It was 95 degrees and a strong wind out the south.  We started the work day at 9:00 in the morning and finished up at 5:00 that afternoon.  It was a really good day and we were tired.
Working on the lights
We had a good crowd at church both in the morning and in the evening services.  I brought a message using a different style of preaching.  My preferred method of preaching is expository but I used a narrative method today. I asked the congregation to use their imagination and I took them on a journey from the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed "Father let this cup pass from me..." all the way through his trial before the High Priest and ending with Pilot washing his hands of the blood of Jesus.  It was a very emotional time for me to go through that story as if I were there.  I plan to use the same method next Sunday as I take them to the foot of the Cross at Calvary.  
Monday I preach at the nursing home and do some visitation. I plan to mail my tax return tomorrow.  Tuesday is consumed by the Ladies Bible Study and service in Lorena.  Wednesday is sermon preparation day and other Bible study.  Thursday we attend a banquet and Friday we leave at 5:00 AM to head to Waco for a surgery there.  Going to be a busy week.  Mixed in with these activities will be my thesis work, French lessons, clean out the garage, mow the yard, and get the church bus and van inspected and registered.   No place in this weeks schedule for golf or hiking, oh well.  God bless you.
Janie, Kevin, Michelle, and Howard on the roof
A Rose in Front of the Parsonage

Irises have bloomed at the parsonage.

Friday, April 8, 2011

2 Jobs

My mother-in-law on her Facebook page
My mother-in-law had 2 jobs for me to do during our visit.  The first was to fix the sound on her computer.  It had stopped working and she did not know how to fix it.  The speaker wire had come unplugged from the back of her computer so that was an easy job to do.  The next job was a water leak.  On a couple of occasions the floor in her bathroom has been wet between the hot water heater and her dryer.  It was bone dry while we were there and no sign of the source from where the water would have come. It is hard to fix a problem that is intermittent.  It is a new hot water heater so I don't think it would be the pop off valve opening.  If the problem persist I will look into it some more. 
Janie and her mother across the table from me at lunch today
Janie took her mother to Tyler while I went to the Library to get some work done.  We met for lunch about 3:00 and then returned to my mother-in-law's house.  We are back in Hillsboro now getting ready for the work day at the church tomorrow.  There is some painting that needs to be done and hopefully we will have a good turn out and be able to make quick work of it. 
A rose beneath our window
I worked on three of Bro. Davis' sermons today.  I am getting them ready to put on his web page.  I plan to over haul the baptistville.org website and give it a whole new look.  I have a lot of content that needs to be added so I will take a day or so and focus on sprucing it up a bit.
It is going to be a long and hopefully productive day tomorrow so I better head for bed.  God bless you.
Janie checking our her rose bush
A beautiful sunset we saw through a bug splattered windshield

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Ordered An Apple

A picture of my present laptop desktop
Janie and I reviewed our tax forms today and found some errors.  We corrected them and now we owe the IRS $5.00 less than we did before.  I ordered a new laptop computer today from Apple.  Yes I have decided to abandon Windows.  I had ordered a laptop from Dell but after seven weeks of waiting they canceled the order and told me nothing about it.  They told me I would have to place a new order.  I talked to five people from Dell and all were from the country of India. I admire that these persons are bi-lingual and to have learned English as a second language takes a hard working intelligent person.  They spoke English far better than I speak French.  Nevertheless they were difficult to understand and not helpful at all.  They could tell me nothing about the details as to why my order had been canceled.  I was angry with Dell and thus have taken my business else where.  When I called Apple I spoke with a salesperson who clearly had a Texas accent and she was located in Austin, Texas.  My new laptop should arrive next week.  
Tuesday I got the car inspected and got a few things done.  We had outstanding services in Lorena.  I have chosen my text for the revival services but have not typed up the sermons as yet. More progress has been made on my thesis.  I typed another half a page.  Bare in mind that to achieve that half page I type a page and a half.  I am headed for French lessons as soon as I sign off here.  God bless you.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Hannah Saved

Hannah on our recent hike at Martin Creek Lake State Park
Things went well today.  I just got off the phone with our daughter who told us some real good news.  It seems our granddaughter, Hannah, was saved today.  That makes 5 out of 11 grandkids saved so far.  It is a blessing to know that our grandchildren are being raised to know the Lord our God. 
The new modem/MIFI devise worked very well at church today allowing Jason and his family to see our services over Skype.  I gave the WEP/WPA key to the sound man so he could hook up to it with his Iphone.  It was not long ago that I had no idea what a WEP/WPA key was and now I speak of it so matter of factly.  It is a high tech world in which we live. 
I have a million things to get done this week.  There is pastor's fellowship in the Dallas area in the morning but I will not be going to it.  I feel my time is better spent with my usual Monday morning visitation to the nursing home.  I have to mail off the camp registration forms to the churches that attended last year.  I was suppose to have that done last week but just could not get to it.  I need to finalize my taxes and get them in the mail this week.  My car needs to be inspected tomorrow since it expired last Thursday.
My mother's expanded Rose Garden
I must get started on revival sermons for the revival services I will be preaching at Longview Drive Missionary Baptist Church in Henderson.  I have been given a theme and that actually helps me with choosing five texts from which to preach.  I will no doubt share these sermons with my church during the month of May.  The revival begins May 1st and goes through the 4th.  I plan to make some phone calls tomorrow to line someone out to preach in my place that Sunday morning.
These are but a few of the things I have to do this coming week. I have a meeting with the other pastors here in Hillsboro on Tuesday at noon.  I am suppose to present a mission statement.  It is a statement as to why we meet and what is our purpose for meeting.  I have composed this and will present it though I am sure it will be substantially changed.  We hope to have services at Lorena Tuesday night we miss our friends there since it has been over two weeks since we saw them last.  
We will be having a work day at our church on Saturday.  Blogging may be much limited this week.  God bless you.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Canton

A new cabinet for Janie
Janie and I went to the First Monday Trades Day at Canton, Texas today.  We had a good time and even though there was a huge crowd of people there we managed to run into some people we know.  We saw my niece there with her fiance and her two children.  We saw a lady and her daughter who we know from our state Baptist association.  It was perfect weather with the high of 87 and partly cloudy.  We bought a cabinet and a few other things.  We just can't leave without getting a cup of homemade ice cream and it was good.  The traffic was real bad and it took us a while to get out of town.
I am working on a series of sermons for the month of April.  Tomorrow will be the start of the series about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The first sermon introduces the subject and is entitled "A Hidden Truth."  In this series we will visit the house of the High Priest, the place called Calvary, and last but certainly not least, the Tomb of Jesus.    God bless you.

Friday, April 1, 2011

My Spot (maybe), Party, and Azaleas

Trying out my spot in the cemetery
Janie next to my spot in the cemetery
Janie and her mother checking out the Taylor name that was added
Site along the Azalea trail in Tyler, Texas
Retirement Party
It was a busy day today.  We went first to a retirement party at the FSA office in Henderson.  We then took Janie's mother to the cemetery to see the name they added to the headstone.  It looked real good.  There are 3 plots available in the Jones section of the cemetery.  I have been kidding with my mother-in-law about who will be buried next to Jim.  I told her I might have to fight my brother-in-laws for it.  I laid down in the spot and told her I was trying it out.   We left the cemetery and headed over to Tyler to drive the Azalea trail.  It was a very pretty though a somewhat complicated route.  It has been a good day.  God bless you.