97.7

No fever since this morning. Feeling much better. Got out and took care of some business in town and then went to Wal-Mart with Janie. We have to leave at 5:00 in the morning to pick Scott up at the airport. I will not get much sleep tonight but will try to take a nap tomorrow. We had some excellent homemade soup for supper. It seems so odd not to have made a trip to Henderson this week. I called my mother to let her know that I have been sick. She is doing well. I have made no New Years resolutions though I usually do. I am looking forward to this next year. The closer we get to the coming of the Lord the more excited I become. I worked on the sermon for Sunday and the Sunday School lesson. Both are wonderful texts and I can't wait for the services to start. The picture is of my son-in-law holding two of my grandkids on the tire swing he and Sarah gave them for Christmas. God bless you.

99.6

My fever has been down today, 99.6, and I have felt better. We canceled our services tonight due to my illness and the illness of some others who are normally there. I did not take any med's today since my fever was so low. I took it easy today. I composed the next episode of Tribman and got the bulletin ready for next Sunday. I cooked chili for supper and Janie has made us a wonderful coffee cake for a bedtime snack. It is my plan to be fever free tomorrow but will take it easy and stay out of the weather. I do have to go to town on business tomorrow with Janie. The picture is of me and my first grandchild, Joshua, who is now 11 years old. God bless you.

100.2

Okay, so I am not better today. Temp was 100.2 this afternoon. It sure seems like the flu but it may only be a bad cold. I have have gone from hot to cold and mostly cold all day. The flu medicine can be taken every six hours. It takes an hour and a half to take effect then it wares off about an hour and a half before the next dose giving me about three hours of relief. In an effort to not cough I shout out "AM." This is not very effective I end up coughing anyway. You can tell that I am in that space of three hours relief since I feel up to blogging.

I have not felt like doing anything today so I have done nothing today. I talked to my youngest daughter who is in Branson for the holidays. I also talked to my brother, Steve, about the prince of Ezekiel chapter 44. He has an interesting take on who this prince is and I shared my view and at least gave him something about which to think. That conversation perked me up a bit. Clint Rogers had surgery on his elbow today and it was a success. He should be able to move it now which may allow him to feed and dress himself. Well, I am going to go and enjoy the rest of my three hours of relief before heading for bed for the night. The picture was taken four years ago at one of our Wednesday night services. If I am not better in the morning I will get someone to stand in for me. God bless you.

99.5

I had a sore throat last night and when I went to bed I did not feel well. I could not seem to get warm so I got up and checked my temperature and it was 99.5. I took some flu medicine and am feeling better this morning. We have a lunch engagement. A man of our church called and wanted to treat my grandkids to lunch at McDonald's. The kids seem excited about that prospect. The picture is of me and my grandson, Joshua, playing wahoo with Ruth and Stacie. God bless you.

Quick Trip

We made a quick trip to Henderson to deliver presents and visit. Janie's sister and her husband and son were at her parents house. We had a good visit there then headed over to my mother's to deliver her present to her. She is doing well. I plan to go over to the church early in the morning for some quite time before the services. Janie and I are suppose to sing a special tomorrow so I better go and help Janie pick something out and practice. The picture, taken on Saturday 12/26/09, is of my mother and her great-grandchildren Ruth, Joshua, Hannah, and Jonathan. God bless you.

Christmas Day

The grandkids were up by 8:00 this morning waiting patiently for the adults to appear. They had examined the gifts under the tree and did not find one for their mother. They were trying to round up something to wrap and put under the tree for her. I pointed out to them that their mother's gifts were not under the tree but off to one side. Janie handed out the presents and the kids dug in. They all were very happy with their gifts. Janie gave me a clock and an external hard drive. I gave her a clock with a projector that displays the time and outside temperature on the ceiling of our bedroom, a voice work out CD, and some DVD's. I fixed scrambled eggs and deer sausage for breakfast, Janie made Frito pie for lunch, she also made some orange balls, a small and very tasty pastry treat. Supper time is nearly here and then maybe a game with the kids before their bedtime. God bless you.

Christmas Eve: Snow, Candles, Pizza, Fruitcake, Perfect

It is Christmas Eve and it has been a great one. We went to church for a candle light service and it was snowing the whole time. The snow did stick to the ground and the kids were very excited. We had a good turn out for the service in spite of the high winds and cold wintry weather. Sarah and Justin arrived at 10:00 this morning and stayed through the candle light service. They made it home safely while we fixed one of our grandkids favorite meals, Cheese Pizza. We even let them eat in the living room and watch Charlie Brown's Christmas. They got to open one gift from their parents. They got new pajamas and went to don them immediately. They are now all snug in their beds and excited about Christmas and the pile of gifts under the tree. Janie and I with Stacie will watch a Christmas movie and then head for bed ourselves. The pictures are some I took this evening of the grandkids. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. God bless you.

Fruitcake

The grandkids and I made fruitcake today. This picture is of my granddaughter, Ruth, grinding up the pecans. I had each of the three older ones do a part. The recipe is one my mother used when I was a kid. You put 2 sticks of butter in a bowl with a bag of large marshmallows and the juice from a small jar of cherries. You put this in the microwave until the butter and marshmallows are melted. That was Joshua's job. You crush up three packages of graham crackers and add to it a box of raisins, a cup of chopped pecans and the cherries. This was the job assigned to Ruth and Hannah. You mix all together and put it in a loaf pan. You refrigerate it for two hours and it is ready to eat. The Kids had fun making it and tomorrow they will taste the fruits of their labors.

We had a short service tonight at church followed by refreshments which Janie and I provided. We like to do this the Wednesday night before Christmas each year. The people seem to enjoy having a small Christmas party. When we got home Scott called to let Stacie know how things were going. It seems the airline lost his luggage and he will get it back tomorrow. We left Stacie and the kids talking to Scott on Skype (pictured) and headed out to deliver some checks to our mission treasurer and to go by the Post Office. After that we went to Wal-Mart to do a little shopping. The crowd was not bad at all. We picked up some groceries and a few things for the grandkids for Christmas.

Speaking of Skype, the kids got to talk to their cousins in France by Skype. The grandkids in France were holding up toys to the camera to show them to their cousins here in Texas. That was exciting to them all. We are going to do it again Christmas day so they can show each other what they got for Christmas.

Well its off to bed for me. God bless you.

IRA

We had a good nights rest last night. I had some business in town this morning so I took off to get that done. I went to see my financial advisor and started an IRA for next year. I think that Janie and Stacie are going to go shopping and I plan to watch the grandkids this afternoon. If it is not raining I will take them for a walk then play a game with them.

We are planning to sing Christmas songs and serve refreshments at church Wednesday night. Thursday night is our special candle light service and it sounds like we are going to have a good turn out for that service. Well one of the grandkids is crying so I better go check it out. The picture if of Jonathan, 2 years old, playing a game on Janie's computer. God bless you.

A little Sleep, A little Slumber

Our Christmas cantata went very well. We had about 80 people there for the service. The food afterward was great. It was all in all a great day.

I got a fair amount of sleep Sunday night but Janie got very little. She came to bed about 5:00 Monday morning. Stacie and I took Scott to the airport and that went well. He will be gone to South America for two weeks. We enjoyed the grandkids today and look forward to some time with them tomorrow. We are going to be early tonight to catch up on our sleep. The grandkids all have runny noses and they did not get much sleep last night. So here it is 9:00 pm and we are all gone to bed. Well except me and I am headed that way now. The picture was taken at the airport today. God bless you.

Burning the Midnight Oil

I have been staying up late lately. It seems I can't find a stopping place. Last night I finished setting up my mother-in-law's computer about 1:30 AM. This morning I set her up with a web-cam and mic so she can Skype. She got to talk to and see Jason and his family and loved it. We are back home now and tonight I took time to eat popcorn and watch a movie with Janie. We moved over to the couch and sat under a blanket with a bowl of popcorn and enjoyed relaxing for an hour and a half. Janie is working now and I have been catching up on a few things. We had a good day today. I went for a walk while Janie helped her mother with a financial report. While I was out I tried jogging and did for about 2/10 of a mile. I could have done more but thought it better on my bones to walk briskly instead.

I am going to sic my brother Steve on planning us a hike in Palo Dura Canyon just south of Amarillo, Texas. I was checking their website out just now and sounds like a good place to hike. I have invited some friends to go with us to Groom, Texas to see the amazing cross and sculptures there. I hope they will consider going with us. We as well as they could use a couple of days away. The picture is of the Christmas tree in the foyer of our church. God bless you.

Hungry

Janie is in her mother's kitchen making cornbread. My brother-in-law, Steve, is on the far side of the meadow across from my in-law's house deer hunting. He saw one a 1/4 of mile down the road and it was heading in the direction of his deer stand. He is going to eat supper with us tonight. My mother-in-law has made a cabbage dish that smells really good. Peas are on the stove and the cornbread is cooking. I just finished covering the septic tank so I am ready to eat.

My sister, Jean, emailed me that she had taken a ambulance ride two days ago. I called her as soon as I saw the email. She is doing okay now. It was a bad case of vertigo.

I will install my in-law's new computer after supper and Janie and I will head back to Hillsboro tomorrow. I spent the day with my mother-in-law at the doctor's office in Tyler (pictured). We left at 9:45 this morning and got back to the house about 4:30. Well I am too hungry to type any more. God bless you.

Paul Clark

The Bible says "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth." (Ecc 7:1) I googled my name and found that there is a Paul Clark VW dealership in south Boston. There is a Paul Clark Ford dealer in Florida. There is a Paul Clark christian music singer from Kansas City. There was a Paul Clark that owned and operated a grocery store here in Hillsboro years ago. He died several years back but I did get to meet his wife. He had a good reputation in town and everyone liked him. It is good when your name brings nice thoughts to people's minds. I strive to be a man of good reputation. I try to keep my word and to be a man of integrity because a good reputation is very worth having.

The day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. That is true for those who are saved. The day of my death will be better than the day of my birth. My birth began a time of struggle, work, and a mixture of pain and pleasure. My death will begin a time of rest and comfort, a time of fulfillment and satisfaction, a time of peace and absolute joy.

The picture is one I took with my cell phone as I was walking to the nursing home on Monday. Janie and I will head to Henderson tonight after church and return on Friday. God bless you.

Gifts

Janie gave each of the ladies in the Bible study group a Christmas gift. They gave to us a Christmas gift. One of the ladies gave everyone a gift of cookies. This afternoon Janie and I worked and then took off for Waco to deliver a gift and to visit at a nursing home there. The lady we went to visit was sound asleep so I prayed by her bedside and left her a note wishing her a Merry Christmas. We then did some Christmas shopping and headed back to Hillsboro. I have the sermon ready for Sunday, the lesson ready for Wednesday night, I will work on my thesis tomorrow, Lord willing.

It is just 10 days it will be Christmas. Our grandkids will arrive in just 6 days. They are counting the days as are we.

My uncle, Bill Clark, who lives in Lowell, Massachusetts keeps coming to my mind. Each time that he does I pray for him and his family. I worked at St. John's hospital in Lowell for 1 year with my uncle Bill (1971-1972). I really enjoyed working with him. I would love to go to Lowell to see him and maybe I will some day. I have posted this picture before on this blog. It is one my sister Peggy took of my uncle Bill and his wife. God bless you.

Sanctified Cups

This picture is of our lunch on Sunday. I used these cups which are from our fine china. These are sanctified rather than profane. That is to say that they are for special use only. Tomato soup does not taste any better in these cups. I just thought if we have them we ought to use them at least every now and then.

We had a good day Saturday and Sunday. I walked to the nursing home this morning and led the singing at the services there. The nursing home is only a half mile from our house and the weather was perfect for walking. I walked another three miles before lunch and got caught up on some Bible reading. I have taken to doing push ups after I walk. I started out doing 10 and adding one each day. I am up to 16 push ups and will stop at 25. With Thanksgiving behind us now I am back on my diet. I will break it again for Christmas and then back on after New Years. I have much to do today. I will send off the MBA of Texas Minute Book information today which consists of the addresses and phone numbers of our churches in Texas. I need to mail off the minute books for our local association so will try to get that done today also. I had not blogged in two days so thought, even though I am busy, I ought to let you know I am still alive and well. God bless you.

Digging

I got up this morning and went to see Janie's uncle Trenton. He was doing well and while I was there I borrowed a shovel. This picture is of the digging I did this morning. I uncovered my in-law's septic tank so it would be ready for the man to pump it out on Monday. It seems he charges extra if he has to dig up the tank. I cleared the clog in the sewer line and everything was working good when we left this afternoon. The plumbers we called were all too busy to come out so 2 blisters later the problem was fixed. The weather was perfect for digging a hole 6 foot in diameter and 10 inches deep. It was cloudy and 52 degrees.

We went home by way of Palestine to leave a couple things with our daughter there. Had to wait for a really long train in Corsicana. We were under an over pass while waiting for the train and our satellite radio does not like overpasses, as you can tell by this picture. "LINKING" is bad. We made a "U" turn and went 2 blocks down and waited for the train there, at least the radio would work that way.

Tomorrow I need to go to the office at the church and get some work done there. I think while I am out I will pick up the ingredients and see if Janie will make some of that homemade soup her mother made. God bless you.

Plumbing

I had a good day yesterday with Bro. Davis. We arrived at the Cancer center about 10:30 and he got his lab work done right away. We then went to the waiting area to be called back to see the doctor. We were there until 11:00 when we were called back to the exam room. We waited there until 12:50 when the doctor came in to examine him. He is doing okay. He had a choice to make whether to stop the Chemo treatments and risk having the pain return or put up with the side effects of Chemo and not have the pain. He chose the side effects over the pain so off to Chemo we went. It took about 2 hours to get through with the Chemo therapy. I took them home by way of the pharmacy and got back to their house about 5:00. It was a long day and a very cold and windy one. I tried to walk outside during his treatment but it was just too cold and I did not have a hat. I sat and enjoyed a good visit with them.

The day was perfect weather for the homemade soup my mother-in-law was cooking. I stopped to pick up a few things for her at the grocery store after leaving the Davis' house. I spent the evening visiting with my father-in-law and went to bed early.

Today my assignment was to take Janie's dad to the eye doctor, go to two banks and the grocery store. It was 29 degrees when we left for town. I left my father-in-law at the eye doctor waiting room and went to one of the banks and then to the grocery store. I stole the bank's cartridge and had to return it. I got back to the eye doctor in time to sit through the last half of his eye exam. His eyes had not changed since the last visit. I took him home and then went over to Janie's uncle Trinton's house to take him his groceries. I went back to town and went to the other bank then picked up two plate lunches. I returned and ate lunch with Uncle Trinton and had a good visit with him. It was back to the Taylor's where I checked in on my Father-in-law to see if he was okay and he was. I called my mother and she was doing well. They still have not caught the hogs that are taring up her yard. She is going to try leaving the outside lights on to see if that keeps them away. Before getting to my studies I went to the bathroom and discovered that the sewer line was stopped up. I went out into the back yard and sure enough water was bubbling up out of the ground from the sewer line. In my younger days I would have dug right in and fixed it but not now. I called a plumber and am waiting for them to call me back.

The first picture was taken yesterday. It is of Bro. Davis as we were waiting to see the doctor. This second picture, taken today, is of me and my Father-in-law at the waiting room of the eye doctor. God bless you.

Hot Chocolate

The Bible study went well this morning and the funeral went very well. Janie and I stopped to fuel up in Corsicana and to get something to eat. We got a chicken sandwich and some hot chocolate. I drank my hot chocolate through a straw which is a little tough to do. Janie has not gotten much sleep lately so she slept in the car most of the way to Henderson. We have arrived and in the morning I will go over to meet Bro. and Sis. Davis at their house and take them to the doctor's office. He has had a rough time and is very weak. He may or may not take his treatment tomorrow depending on how his lab work comes out.

I have not given an update lately on Clint. He is doing very well. He has not missed a Sunday Morning service since his release from the hospital. He seems to have an excellent attitude and told me Sunday he was going to use his condition to get out of work as long as he could. My reply was "So you are milking it for all its worth?" to which he replied "Exactly." He truly is a walking answer to prayer and would give anything to be back on a tractor again.

The picture is of our Christmas tree. We don't burn the lights and probably won't until the grandkids come to stay with us the Monday before Christmas. Janie and I have gotten most of our shopping done and most all of it has been done online. I still need to get her gift and maybe I can get that done this week. God bless you.

Salvation

A man robs a store and then a week or so later because he feels so guilty and bad for having done this bad thing turns himself in to the police. He admits his guilt by pleading guilty before the judge and asks for the court to have mercy on him. I think this is like what happens to a person that gets saved. He or she realizes they are guilty of sin, it bothers them that have sinned and they fear the consequences of those sins. They go to Jesus who bore their sins on the cross and is the only one who can forgive their sins. Knowing that Jesus is the judge and savior they plead, before Him in prayer, guilty and ask for mercy. Jesus forgives and pardons their sin. Have you ever felt guilty? Have you confessed your guilt to Jesus and asked Him to have mercy on you? If you have and if you meant it He saved your soul. Praise the LORD!

Last Monday I preached a funeral and shared this truly good news with a very large crowd of lost people. I will have the opportunity tomorrow to share the Gospel again with some lost people. I pray the the Holy Spirit of God will take the message and open their blinded minds to the truth of the guilt of their sins and that He will draw them to trust in Jesus to save them.

Janie and I had a good time at the pastor fellowship tonight. It was worth the almost 2 hour drive to get there. We had a hard time finding the place in the dark and were just a little bit late. Traffic was not bad coming home and it rained on us most of the way back. It is suppose to rain tomorrow so the funeral will be a wet and cold one. Tomorrow's will make the 9th funeral I have preached this year.

I started this day out with a headache and that caused me to not get much done today. I feel better now and all in all it was a good day. The picture is one I took the other day of Janie and I sitting in our favorite chairs. She was reading the Bible and I was studying for a sermon. It is a very common scene at our house. God bless you.

The Weekend

Saturday saw our Christmas tree being decorated with Sarah and Justin's help. Sarah likes fudge so knowing she was on her way to visit with us for the weekend I made a batch. It was a great visit. They spent the night and went to church with us Sunday morning. After lunch they headed back home to Palestine.

Sunday morning saw me waist deep in water near the close of a wonderful worship service and Sunday night found us watching a great video of a missionary's work in northern India (he is pictured below standing in our church foyer) and saw our two newest members taking up the evening offering (pictured above sitting on the front pew waiting to go). Janie and I ended or day with a nice salad and a movie. She did not have to work tonight because of an on going software upgrade at the office. She will be very busy when they give her the word that they are up and running again.

Monday should find us at the nursing home for a visit and driving to Garland, Texas for a pastor's Christmas fellowship. Tuesday we have Bible Study and a funeral. Wednesday its off to Tyler to go with Bro. Davis for his doctor's appointment. I have arranged for someone to stand in for me at our Wednesday night service since it will be difficult to get back in time. We will stay over in Henderson to help out there and then return to Hillsboro Friday night. God bless you.

Jiggity Jog

We are home again, home again. The snow was nice and just the kind I like. This is a picture Janie took on our way home today. If you look really hard and blow this picture way up you will not see the snow, but it was snowing. Its the kind of snow you don't have to shovel. It did not stick to the ground at all but was pretty coming down. We went by the Volkswagen dealer to get some filters for the car and they put a new battery in my car key. Janie was sitting in the car while I was inside at the dealer. The lady behind the counter changed the battery in my key for me and she pushed the panic button which caused the car alarm to go off. I told her that she was probably causing my wife to have a heart attack. Janie found her keys and got the alarm shut off. It was snowing a lot at the dealer but by the time we got to Bro. Davis' house it had stopped. We had a good visit with them and he is still very weak. He sees the doctor next Wednesday and I plan to go with him.

We visited my mother this morning and she was doing well. It was nice and warm in her house and she told of having three deer visiting her yard. She is still having problems with wild pigs tearing up her yard. The pig trap does not seem to be working. The corn in the trap is being enjoyed by the crows and other birds. I don't doubt that the raccoons are eating it as well.

Tomorrow morning I will finish the sermon for Sunday night and will finish the next episode of Tribman. Tomorrow afternoon we plan to put up our Christmas tree and I will no doubt post pictures here.

I have taken to doing push ups each day after my walk. I did ten the other day when my grandkids were here and I was sore the next day. I have been doing push ups every day since. I took this picture Thursday of an unusual mushroom which was on the side of the road. Part of the fun of walking is taking notice of God's glorious creations. God bless you.

Christmas Lights

We left for Henderson after our Wednesday night services. We stopped at Athens to see the lights and here are some pictures of those lights. We are going to try to take the grandkids to see them. I am at the beauty shop with Janie's mother while Janie is at the cancer center with her dad. He has to go to the lab first then see the doctor then take his cancer treatment. When we are through here we will go back over to the cancer center and wait for Janie and her dad. I Think we will head home in the morning stopping first to visit with bro. Davis. Enjoy the pictures. God bless you.

Nicknames

This picture is of my grandson Jonathan right before I threw him (figuratively speaking) out of my chair. It took me years to train my kids to get out of my chair when I entered the room. Now I am training my grandchildren. His nickname is Joe. I call him Joe-nay-thin and Joe for short. Joshua is Yeah-ho-shoe-way, Ruth is Ruffus, Hannah is Banana, Lilia is Lee-la, and Caleb is ka-leeb. I don't have nicknames for Micah and Andrew. The grandkids kept asking me what Elijah's nickname is going to be. I tell them that he will have to earn his nickname. I can't give it to him until I get to know him.

Ladies Bible study went well today and a little bit long. I had some work I had to get done this afternoon and so I set my alarm to remind me. I burned about 20 audio Cd's this afternoon for the church down at Hewitt. This should carry them for the next 4 months. Hopefully they will have a pastor by then. We were scheduled to have services there tonight but chose to postpone due to the rain.

My brothers and I are still planning another hike. We will meet at Tyler State Park at 2:oo pm New Years eve. My oldest brother has reserved us a camping site where we plan to primitive camp. We will do 18 miles on New Years Day then head home on Saturday.

My oldest daughter and her kids will be staying with us for two weeks while her husband is in Paraguay. She will pick him up at the airport on New Years Day. She will have taken him to the airport so I expect she will not have any problems finding her way back to the airport.

Tomorrow will be a long day of work for me. I have a lot to get done before our evening services. Sunday sermon, Sunday School lesson, Sunday night sermon, Thesis, Wednesday night lesson, pack for Henderson, mail off the minute books, email MBA of Texas reports, and change the oil in the car. Not all of these will be completed tomorrow but hopefully they will all be worked on. God bless you.