Rita and Rita

I was at Walmart last night and one of the cashiers that I have been working with was there. Her name is Rita and the lady in the line behind me was also named Rita. I invited both of them to visit Walnut Street Baptist Church. The Cashier Rita said "I might just do that" to which I replied "great". The other Rita is a faithful member of another church in town and I complemented her for her faithfulness and encouraged her to keep it up. Both Ritas were so cheerful and happy that they just made my day. Don't you love people who are upbeat and happy. May I strive always to be like these two senoRITAS.

I mail the hiking food off tomorrow and pray that I have thought of everything. My brother has already mailed his off. Less than 2 weeks to go now. I plan to post a lot of pictures of the hike and produce a DVD of the hike and hopfully will enjoy the memory in years to come. The picture is of my brother when we were hiking in Mineralwells Texas last year. God bless you.

A day at a time

My wife and I have been with her parents for the last 2 days giving them a helping hand. I believe it is the duty of children to honor their parents and they should do so out of a pure motive of love. Tough decisions lie ahead for us and them. A member of our church gave me some excellent advice concerning the days ahead and the decisions facing us when he said "You just have to take it a day at a time." He has no idea how much that helped me. Just that simple advice. I am doomed to be a planner. I want to know how everything is going to play out and have a plan for every contingency. I want to force things to fit my plans. The Lord knows the future and I need to trust in Him to take care of the things tomorrow brings. I need to cross the bridges as they come and let the Holy Spirit guide me through. The picture is one of my wife and her dad taken a few years ago.

Hiking is the perfect recreation for me. It requires much planning and I love to plan. I plan for every contingency and play out in my mind the entire hike. I looked the whole trail over from Google Earth's view. Walked in my mind and checked and re-check the supplies I will need. Thus hiking is perfect for such a person as I. In 2 more weeks, Lord willing, I will be on the trail with my brother executing the plan. God bless you.

Cain

It was a terrible thing for Cain to slay his brother Abel. I was reading this story in the Bible this afternoon and an even more terrible thing was done by Cain. When God asked Cain of the whereabouts of his brother Cain responded rather sarcastically "...am I my brother's keeper." His tone was one of hatred and contemptment. I was taught as a child that you should not talk back to your parents. You were not to be sarcastic with them. You always adressed them with respect. The same is true of God. We should never say such things as Cain said unto God. God is our maker, protecter, redeemer, savior, and Lord. We should have the greatest of fear for God. I plan to share the story of Cain with the young people tonight and I pray it will bless them.

Only about 17 more days to the hike and I am trying to shake a cold. Hopefully it will be gone by then. I will not allow it to slow me down I plan to continue to walk 5 miles a day and maybe 15 miles on Friday if I feel up to it. The picture is taken through the window at the foot of the tent. I beleive this tent is going to be a real good one. God bless you.

Pay at the pump, a tool of the devil?

As children of God we are here on earth to serve the Lord. Our every waking hour should be about doing those things which please God. It is 2:41 AM and the Lord has taken sleep from mine eyes. Between this cold and the mexican food I had for supper I could not sleep. It occured to me while I sought in vain to sleep that pay at the pump may be a tool of the devil. My reason for living is to do the will of God and to bring Him glory. I do this by doing those things which help me to grow in my faith and by helping others to grow in their faith. I put it this way; When I run to the store to buy bread and milk that is never my primary reason for going to the store. My primary reason to go to the store is to help someone to become, or be better at being, a disciple of Jesus Christ. In John Chapter 4 Jesus did not send His disciples into Sychar to buy bread but to reap a harvest. When we pay at the pump or use the self check out lane we miss a chance to build a relationship with another human being. We do not go to the post office just to buy stamps and mail letters we go to build a relationship with the postal worker, to brighten his/her day and to lead him/her to a closer walk with Christ. Jesus did not go to Jacob's well for a drink of water He went to help a lost person get saved. He had meat to eat that the disciples knew nothing about. My pray for you dear reader is that you will open your eyes and live each day reaching out to others. Jesus has sent us as sheep among wolves. Be wise a serpent and harmless as a dove. With the love and compassion of Christ reach out and touch someone today and everyday. God bless you.

Stones

Luke 19:40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Could stones indeed cry out? If the Lord wished it so they could and would. What have stones seen that would enable them to be a source of praise to God? The stones of the earth have been in existence before man was formed. They have witnessed the works of God and been used of God through out time. The Law was written first on tables of stone. Men will, in the future call for the stones to fall upon them and to hide them from and angry God. It was a stone that covered the mouth of the grave where Jesus lay and was removed by angels to reveal to men that Jesus was alive. Samuel's Ebenezer was a rock of help. Jesus could have raised up from the stones of the earth children unto Abraham. Stones were used to execute the guilty and used to execute the righteous such as Stephen and Naboth. Stones were used for altars to offer sacrifices unto God and on one occasion were consumed completely with the sacrifice. A stone was used as a pillow for the head of Jacob. Stones were gathered out of the Jordan to form a memorial. Precious stones adorned the priest's garments and will adorn the Holy city New Jerusalem. Mill stones were used as tools for food and for weapons. A sharp stone was used by Zipporah to comply with God's command. It was upon a stone that Moses sat with arms held high so that Joshua could gain a victory. It was a stone that cause the Giant of Gath to fall. Stones have witnessed the rise and fall of men and have seen that it is God who remains the same from generation to generation. The stones could indeed cry out to the praise of God but it is the duty of man not of stones to lift their voices in praise for it is mankind that knows of God's grace and alone can cry out in praise of God's redemption. God bless you.

Water

I was reading "Pacific Crest Trail" and noticed that day 3 and day 4 of our hike will be long stretches of no water. Day 3 there will be a 24 mile stretch of no certain water supply. On Day 4 there will be no dependable water supply for 22 miles. Both of these days are going to be hot with little or no shade. Sunday I will be preaching on the subject of "The Largest Resurrection." The people who will be a part of this resurrection will spend eternity in a place were it will be hot and there will be, even though it is called a lake, no water. It is my prayer for you, dear reader, that if you are a part of this largest of resurrection you will repent and turn to Jesus Christ and in prayer ask Him from the depths of your heart to forgive you of your sin and have mercy on your soul. If you will do this your name will be written in the book of life and you will be a part of the resurrection of life and of the just and not a part of the resurrection of damnation. God bless you.

DQ

Technology is an amazing thing. I am writting this update in a Dairy Queen having just finished a small hamburger and occasionally chatting on instant messenger with my son in France. It is a beautiful day today. At home I have all the hiking gear and supplies spread out on a king size bed. I need a few things in the way of food and then I will be ready to mail the bulk of the food to Warner Springs, Ca..
One of my Uncles past away this week and I have fond memories of him. He was, like all my father's brothers, a real nice guy. I would have loved to live close to them but it was not meant to be. I must go for now. God bless you.

Lots of rain

We had a lot of rain today. Here at the parsonage there was more water standing in the back yard than I have ever seen before. I walked my 5 miles today and read about 20 chapters in the book of Jeremiah. Things are going well and I am looking forward to our services tomorrow night. We will continue with the Bible questions on Wednesday nights until after I get back from my vacation then I will begin to preach one sermon from each book of the Bible. Sunday morning is Easter and after our Choir sings the sermon will be lengthy and we will most likely get out of church very late. The sermon is titled "The Largest Resurrection." Really looking forward to preaching that sermon. God bless you.

4 weeks to go

There are just four weeks till I will be on the PCT with my brother in California. I long for this vacation a great deal. It will be a time of great fellowship as my brother and I spend hours on end talking about the things of God. I really enjoyed or services today, preaching is my life and I love it so. Tonight's text will be from Isaiah 64 on the subject of "desiring the return of the LORD." Normally on Sunday nights when we have business meeting I bring a short devotion but not tonight. The text is rich and I will take my time covering what it teaches. God's word is too important for it to take a backseat to anything. I am excited also about next Sunday's text. For Easter I will preach on the subject of "The Largest Ressurrection." I am already praying for those who are lost that God might allow them to come to our services and hear HIS great message.

The picture is of me about to take off on my 15 and 1/2 mile hike. The umbrella mount is attached to the handle and has 3 velcro straps that attach it to the 2 shoulder straps and the hip strap of the back pack. It worked great and will go with me every time I hike.

Walking and hiking

Taking a walk is a lot different than going for a hike. A hike is generally long enough to require at the least bringing food and water along. I hiked today 15.5 miles. The backpack weighed 26 pounds including the water that I brought along. I had originally set out to do 20 miles but my body wanted to stop at 15. It was fun and I did a lot of praying and meditating, I even preached Sunday morning services aloud to the cows and birds that I past along the way. I will post pictures later of the umbrella mount, it worked really well. I love the umbrella and will always bring it along. Bro. Davis and I will have a nice visit tomorrow and am sure looking forward to that. I am looking forward to returning home to preach that message Sunday to a real congregation. God bless you.

Doing something right

When troubles come your way you know one of 2 things. You are doing something wrong or your doing something right. If your doing something right then it is the devil that is causing you trouble. If your doing something wrong then it is the Lord causing you trouble. Now you must then step back and evaluate which is the case. If it is the devil then you must continue if it is the Lord you must stop. Recently things have been going well at the church with five having been baptized this year so far. There are so many good things that the church is doing that it has caused me much delight. Then trouble comes and I must step back and take another look. In the days to come I will do much praying and much meditating on things as they are and decide do I need to stop or do I need to continue. Because you do not have any Idea what I am talking about you can not help me with this but the Lord can. There is much to be considered and I sure could use some advice. Sounds like a job for my pastor. I believe I will pay him a visit. Look out Bro. Davis here I come. God bless you.

Sewing again

Well its back to the sewing machine. I have an idea for connecting my umbrella to my backpack. I will take some pictures when it is finished and display them here. Part of it must be hand sewn which I am not familiar with. My wife will have to help me with this part. I plan to start my day early tomorrow and go to the office first thing. Tomorrow is suppose to be sunny and warn so I plan to clean out the garage and finish the wheelchair ramp for the the church. Going to try and give the yard a hair cut tomorrow as well. God bless you.

Moving on

The day is moving on quickly. The sermon for Sunday morning is ready unless the Lord changes my mind. The SS lesson is ready. Wednesday night lesson for the Adults is ready. I need to work on my 2 "Time with Bro. Paul" sessions for Wednesday night and then this weeks lessons will be ready to go. Life is moving on. It moves rapidly and before you know it you've come to the end of your journey. I long for the finish line but for now lets move on to the events of this afternoon. God bless you.

Good start to a good day

Was up by 5:00 am and went strait to the office. Early mornings seem to be the most productive times. The whole day is ahead of you and its a fresh start to a new day. I really do like the saying "today is the first day of the rest of your life" it is so full of hope and optimism. I like to think that every day in heaven will be full of new things, new adventures, and new songs. I am contemplating some changes to my work. Sometimes you must if you intend to progress. A big part of teaching is your students. You have to find ways of reaching them and if one thing does not work you have to try something else. I really think that all students are reachable. President Bush started a program called "no child left behind." I like the sound of that. When I was a child I was left behind a lot. I had only 4 real teachers in public school the others were just hirelings. I want, as a teacher of God's word, to not leave anyone behind. When I have just one student in my class that is not getting anything out of it, it bothers me. The word of God is so vital to our lives and everyone needs it. If I could reach even those who seem unreachable I would be happy. I feel like the only tool I have at my disposal is prayer. Prayer is powerful and I am praying for all of the students God has sent my way. God bless you.

Another long day

It has been a long day for a Sunday. I got up at 5:30 am and got ready for church. Went to church and worked on setting up the computer to let the people in France watch our services live. I reviewed my sermon and SS lesson and then returned to the house. I could not get a nap this afternoon for we had the nursing home services this afternoon. The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing for the Lord's Supper. After church we had a very long deacon's meeting that was, well, interesting. I wrote the longest letter I have ever written to my son to let him know how things were going at the church but he reads really fast and it will not take long for him to get through it. I am very tired and am not thinking clearly. Our Lord frequently had long days and often grew tired. I wish I had his patients even when deprived of sleep. Looking forward to a great day of service for the Master tomorrow. If all goes well I will get much study done and some visitation as well. The only way to get the work done is to start early and stay late. God bless you.

Glorious day

I spent this morning working without interuption on the first three verses of John 17. I love to give my studies my undivided attention. It is a rich text and am looking forward to sharing what I have learned from it with the people of the Church and with the radio audience. Walked 4 miles and read about 16 chapters or so in the Bible. We mailed off 2 boxes to Massy France at a cost of $150.00. Our Son and his family should recieve them in about a week. I know that I would be excited to recieve such gifts as these if I were in their shoes. The people of the church gave very generously all kinds of the food items that they miss in France. Our grandchildren will be here tonight visiting with us through Sunday morning. We always look forward to their visit. It will be a good time. God bless you.

Winter Weather

It is cold and raining here, a more typical winter day than we have been having. I just finished my four miles and due to phone calls I have only read 7 chapters in the Bible. I am working on John chapter 17 for Sunday morning and expect to only cover the first 3 verses. This prayer of Jesus is deep indeed. I am going to work on supper next and will try to finish the sermon for Sunday tonight. Our son in France is looking forward to receiving the food and other items our church has donated for them so we will try to get the first of these boxes headed that way tomorrow. I need to make some phone calls and check on some of my fellow church members so will get to it. God bless you.

Early start

Got up at 5:30 this morning and took my father-in-law to the doctor's office. His appointment was at 7:00. I met a man in the waiting room who was about the same age as my father-in-law. He was as cheerful as anyone I have ever met that early in the morning. I love that generation. I am headed next for Palestine, Texas with my wife and daughter. They will be shopping for wedding things while I stay in the car and work on the Sunday School lesson and the Sermon for Sunday. I like having a laptop computer just for that reason. It allows me to get some productive work done while traveling. My day started early and will not end until about 10:00 tonight. I don't mind long days when I come to the end and can see that what I have done that day has pleased God. God bless you.

Taxes

Death and Taxes is that what they say? Well my taxes are done and I am about to head for the post office to mail them off. When the people of the United States owe me money I wish I had filed my taxes sooner. When I owe them money I am not in such a hurry. I think that may go against a Bible principle. When you owe someone and it is in your power to pay your debt then you should pay it ASAP. When you are owed a debt then you should be patient with the one who owes you. Well anyway the forms are filled out and off. Looking at last years taxes I discovered a mistake that might have caused me to pay more than I actually owed. Not a lot you understand but I hate to make mistakes. We are off to Henderson so that Janie can take our daughter shopping for the wedding and so we can take her dad to the doctor if he needs us to take him. Well I better head for the postoffice. God bless you.

Umbrella

My hiking umbrella protects me from the sun and rain. I am in the process of making a way of attaching it to my backpack. I have toyed with a couple of ideas and so far they have not worked to my satisfaction. This last, or at least I hope it is the last, effort I think will work quite well. It will give me convient access to the umbrella to remove or erect it. I will try to post a photo when I have it done.
My 800 number to the IRS is like an umbrella it protects me from making mistakes with my taxes. The first year I filed my taxes after moving here I used H&R block. I have since just done them myself with lots of phone calls to the IRS. They seem very willing and able to answer my questions and I feel good about my taxes when I am finished that they have been done correctly. I am determined to get my taxes done this week and will if the Lord is willing.
The Bible is like an umbrella it protects me from that which is false. It protects me when troubles come for I flee to it like a fortress. It helps me quench the fiery darts this world throughs my way. When doubts arrise I open this umbrella and it shields me from the harm they can cause. I will take a Bible with me on the hike and will read it every day and Steve and will enjoy talking about it while we walk along.
We will be baptizing 2 this evening and will get to hear from a missionary who is planning to go to Australia. Should be a real good service. God bless you.