Thesis Day

I worked on the prospectus for my thesis today and made significant progress. While Janie spent the day with her parents in Tyler I worked on my thesis and went over to visit with Bro. Davis. The picture is one I took today in his office. The little boy is the child they baby during the day. We had a good visit and did not get a lot done. He had 3 more things ready to go on his web page so I will try to get those uploaded as soon as possible. Tomorrow we will attend a funeral and get ready for the services Sunday. We may have time to take another bus seat down to Waco and if so we will. God bless you.

Shining Light

The picture is of Janie and our daughter Sarah in the back yard of my daughters home in Elkhart, Texas. The structure in the back ground is going to be a chicken Coop. Sarah likes raising chickens. She gets about 5 or 6 eggs a day. She has turned out to be a really good cook. I am so proud of her and her husband.

I was reading in the book of Exodus this morning how that Moses' face shined when he came down from the mountain after speaking with God. The people were all afraid to get near him because of his shining face. When he covered his face with a vail they were fine with being close to him. His face still shined, it was just out of sight. It is odd that you can cover up that of which you are afraid and though it still remains the fear is gone. Alcoholic beverages and cigarettes harm the internal organs of the body. But as long as you can not see the damage there is no fear. It is when you see the xray that the fear comes. As long as you can not see the problem the fear is gone. I have high blood pressure and as long as I never check it I have no fear. It is when I check it and it is high that fear comes. Don't cover up that which causes worry and fear. Face your worries and fears and take action to correct the source. The people did not need to fear Moses they needed to be like him. They needed a dose of the glory of God. They needed a vision of God in His glory. They needed to repent of sin and humble themselves before God and seek His face. Then they would show forth His glory to the world around them.

We are at my in-laws house and supper is ready. Janie and I took a walk in the moonlight and it was very enjoyable. She sure looks good by the light of the moon. God bless you.

Oil

I went to have the oil changed in my car and they were out of the oil that I needed. They will order it and I can go back next week. I went to put diesel fuel in the church bus and could not find the fuel card. I finally did find it in the glove compartment on the bus and filled it up. We had 37 kids tonight at church and they were very well behaved. We had 2 teachers out but had enough workers to get everything covered.

I was on the phone quite a bit today so when I was on the land line at the church I took out my cell phone and snapped my picture. Tomorrow is my day off and I plan to go over to Henderson and get a few things done there. I will work on my thesis Friday morning and spend the afternoon with Dr. Harold Davis. If all goes well we will be home on Saturday.

Reading in the book of Exodus today I noticed that the Egyptians were ready to let the Israelites go when all their first born were dead. They exclaimed "we be all dead men." They did not insist on the Israelites leaving when it was a matter of discomfort. But when their lives were threatened they were ready to obey God's command. It seems like human nature is the same today. We are willing to put up with pain brought on by our sin but when it threatens our lives we are ready to obey. I should have been eating right and exercising all along but now that I am closer to the end of my life than the beginning I am ready to be obedient and take care of myself. God bless you.

Pizza Pizza

I cooked my first homemade pizza today. It came out pretty good. The recipe made an extra large pizza and there was a lot left over. At the rate we are eating it will take a month to eat the leftovers. The picture is of our Schwan's man, Lance, who came buy today. He is a great guy and very friendly. We like to here about his wife and young son, he seems so proud of them. He is very good at his job and we count him as our friend. He is a christian and loves the Lord. I am sure that is why we feel a bond with him.

I was reading in the book of Exodus this morning about the plaques of Egypt. It was interesting to note that it was not until the lice came that the Egyptian magicians said to Pharaoh "This is the finger of God." They had endured water turned to blood and frogs but because the magicians could duplicate these miracles they thought it was no big deal. When the dust turned into lice they were impressed for they could not do this great thing with their enchantments and tricks. It teaches us a valuable lesson. There are things we can do by and with our power and ability and when God does them we think "so what." God can cut down trees and destroy a whole stand of timber and so can man. But man can not clothe the grass of the fields with beautiful flowers that is the finger of God. Man can not make an eagle or a fish or any life form, that is the finger of God. I love that joke that goes like this: Scientists told God they did not need Him anymore for they could do anything that God could do. So God challenged them to a "man making" contest. The scientist replied no problem we can do that. God said yes but you must do it the way I did it using nothing but dirt. The scientist said confidently "all right" and leaned down and scooped up a handful of dirt to which God replied "No you don't, you create your own dirt." There is but one true and living God who designed and created the heavens and the earth. He tells us all about himself and about us in a set of books we call the BIBLE. It should be required reading for every human being. It has been translated into virtually every language on the earth leaving man without excuse. God bless you.

Ice

God asked Job this question "Out of whose womb came the ice?" (Job 38:29) Every other element in nature shrinks the colder it gets and becomes more dense. God made water to become less dense as is becomes Ice. Ice floats and if it were not for this fact our earth would not be habitable. It is just one of many fingerprints which God left to prove that He created with intelligence the heavens and the Earth.

Ice, it is really good in July when it is in a glass of sweet tea but when you have to drive in it in January it is not so nice. I went, in the freezing rain, to a pastor fellowship meeting (pictured) in Arlington today and had a good time. I bought a friend and fellow pastor lunch afterward and the fellowship was sweet. It was a slow ride home and I went for a 35 minute brisk walk right off. Not to fear when the weather is bad I walk inside the house one big circle from kitchen to dining room to living room back to kitchen, round and round. Tomorrow I plan to work on the sermon for Sunday and the message for Wednesday night. God bless you.

The Things We Do For Love

I read recently the Bible story of Jacob and his love for Rachael. He worked 7 years to have her for his wife and the Bible says they seemed but a few days to him because of the love he had for her. I know exactly how he felt! When you love someone, the measure of that love is seen in the things you are willing to do just because you love them. So take an inventory of the people you love. Think back on the things you have done for them in the past and you will have a true picture of how much you actually love them. Jesus is the ultimate example of love. I would lay down my life for Janie because I love her and she loves me. Jesus laid down his life for me even when I did not love Him in return. He still provides for my every need even though I often fail Him. He truly is a loving Savior and Lord.

The picture was taken today of me talking to Jason via the Internet. Skype is a wonderful tool. It allows us to see and talk to Jason and his family over in France. It has made their being so very far away bearable. You can see him there on the screen. Got my walking in today and my Bible readings, stuck to my diet and all is well. We just put on a pot of hot tea and will enjoy that while working on next Sunday's bulletin. I plan to go to Dallas tomorrow for a pastor's fellowship meeting, weather permitting, and have lunch with them. My afternoon will hopefully be spent working on next Sunday's sermon.

I will mention again that at the bottom of my blog you will find a progress of my reading through the Bible. See if you can catch up and surpass me in reading through the Bible. I am trying to read it through 3 times this year. I am being careful to concentrate when I read the Bible. I am not just reading it for the sake of finishing. I am reading it from a hiker's point of view this time and will read it from an eschatological point of view the next time through. Reading from different view points helps me to see new things in the scriptures that I may have missed. God bless you.

Still on Track

As long as a running train stays on the right track it will reach its destination. So far I have in the first three days of the year read 24 chapters in the Bible and Walked 10 miles. I am not going to weigh myself for weight loss is not my goal. My goal is to be healthy without taking meds. I have been eating small portions and very well balanced meals. Near the bottom of this blog there is a place where you can see the progress I am making in reading through the Bible. I would challenge you to keep up with or surpass me in reading through the Bible this year.

The picture is of the day after my in-law's anniversary. They had a good day in Tyler and a good report from the cancer doctor. We left their house right after this picture was taken Friday night. We went by and visited with my mother and she is doing great. She saw that I had gotten the shower out of her shed and wondered what we had gotten done at the house. I filled her in on the progress of the house how I had gotten the shower stall in and did some electrical work.

We made it back to Hillsboro and worked on the bus this morning. We have seven newly covered seats installed and one being worked on now. We plan to run the bus every Wednesday from now until spring break in March. The bus has been running very well and I expect we will reach an attendance of 60 kids by the end of January. Sunday after next we will be having a junior choir at our church. I am anxious to see them sing in our services. We went by this afternoon after dropping off the bus seat to see the property that the Faith Missionary Baptist Church have in Hewitt, Texas. They have done a lot of work on the land (pictured) and it looks great. They are very eager to get a building started and will be applying for the TMD funds.

Looking forward to good services tomorrow. We will be having a guest speaker tomorrow night. I am in prayer about the violence that is going on in Israel and Gaza. I long for the Lord to return and bring peace to this earth. God bless you.

Memories

We got up early this morning for Janie to take her parents to Tyler. I cooked breakfast for everyone but only Janie and I ate it. Janie cooked my father-in-law's breakfast and my mother-in-law had a banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter. They were in kind of a hurry to get off on time. I did my Bible reading and then took off to do some plumbing. My two brothers went fishing today and I hope they had a good time. They both love to fish. I put the shower base in and the wall enclosure for the shower. They needed an electrical outlet for the washing machine so that was my next project. I have the room ready for sheetrock and will finish installing the shower and the sink when they have the sheetrock done. I worked as a plumber for two years after I got out of High School and every time I do a plumbing job I am reminded why a gave it up. My mother was not at home today when I was there. She had taken her car to have it worked on. This afternoon I will try to finish the sermon for Sunday and then get to work on my thesis. I took a one hour walk this afternoon and have eaten right so far today. That makes 2 days in a row that I have stuck to my plans, 363 more to go.

I found some objects that brought back some memories. The pictures are of two of the things that reside in my father-in-law's back yard. The car is a 1973 Opel GT which was Janie's second car and the one she was driving when I met her. The other is some sort of old farm equipment that has been under that tree for at least 35 years. When I went to take these pictures there were four buzzards standing together in the back yard. They looked at me for about 30 seconds and then one by one they took off to await, in a near by tree, my departure. By departure I mean leaving the area not my departure to Heaven, though either would have been ok with them. We plan to head back to Hillsboro tonight and work on the School bus tomorrow. The lady has another seat done which makes 7 so far. We would like to get it and bring her another one. The sermon for Sunday is entitled "Caesar's Friend." It blessed my heart and I hope it will bless all who hear it. God bless you.

2009 Day 1

Today is my in-law's 62nd wedding anniversary. They were telling us that on the day they married it was very cold and the roads were covered with ice. The groom was late and they had to send someone to fetch him. He was sitting with his feet propped up by the fire with his father when the man they sent to get him arrived. He said the time had slipped by. Well the time has slipped by fast for the 62 years have gone like the blink of an eye. Janie went shopping yesterday and bought each of them a gift to give to one another and also a card for each to give the other. She bought them a cake and we had a little anniversary party for them just the four of us.

Tomorrow Janie will take her father for his Chemo therapy and her mother to the beauty shop. It will be a long day for them over in Tyler. I plan to work on the house and get some plumbing done tomorrow. I will try to get some work done tonight on my sermon for Sunday. My New Year is off to a good start. I have walked 2 miles and read 12 chapters in the Bible. I have eaten like I should and plan to take another walk before the Sun goes down. I repaired a water leak for my in-laws and look forward to working on my thesis tomorrow night and Saturday.

We have six newly covered seats on the bus and I got a phone call that the seventh one is ready. I would like to get one more delivered before this coming Wednesday night when we will start picking up the kids again. Well I am off for a walk, God bless you.