Memorial Day

My two brothers and my oldest sister along with my mother went to put flowers on my father's grave today.  I would have loved to be there with them but I preached at the nursing home this morning.  I did a Memorial day sermon for them and it was a good time.  Janie and I took a rather long break from work today and watched a couple of Christian movies.  I had to fight back guilt which whelms me when I am not working.  I could not fight it back completely for during the movies I did get the church bulletin done for Sunday.  I also started work on a new sermon and then set it aside for later study.  I chose a text for Sunday's sermon and have that sermon ready to go except for immersing it in prayer and meditation.  I am thinking about going to the church here in a bit to get something from my office and then over to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. We are going to need to get ready for our trip to West Virginia which is but 3 weeks away.  Tomorrow after Bible study I plan to read and make out some more note cards for my thesis. I am going to pick out the songs for Sunday and email them to our backup song leader so that if he is able to lead Sunday he can use them and if not I will lead them. I wanted to blog first.   

I was dreading the trip to the ABA meeting but now I am looking forward to it.  I just needed an attitude adjustment.  The sermon for Sunday is about attitude.  When we travel to these meetings we usually bring food with us and eat most of our meals in our room.  In 2008 we took a microwave with us to use in the room.  It saves a lot of money plus we enjoy not standing in long lines because 2000 people all turn out for lunch or supper at the same time.  We also man the booth in the exhibit hall for Jason and so meals have to be quick.  I expect to get 50 mpg on the trip and that will also keep the cost down.  The room is the big expense at nearly $100.00 a night for 6 nights.  There was a time I would have saved 1 night and just drove strait through on the way home.  I am too wise (or too old) to try that now.  Well its off to pick out the songs for Sunday.  The picture is of a picture of Janie's grandmother Annie (Gentry) Jones who died of complications from diabetes at the age of 67. They say she sure could cook. God bless you.

Whole Hearted Worship

Back in the 1960's I was the song leader at Emanuel Missionary Baptist Church in Ayer, Massachusetts. The picture is of me back then, I am playing on the piano the only song I know "There Is a Fountain." The picture below is of us out in front of the church in Ayer.  One Sunday morning the only ones present in the service were me, leading the singing, my mother was playing the piano, my father sitting on the front row, and my two brothers who were sitting behind my father. My brothers were not singing, my mother was not singing, and my father was not singing. I was leading no one.  I thought on it a bit and then right in the middle of the second verse I stopped singing.  The only sound in the auditorium was mother playing the piano.  My father had been looking at his Bible.  When I stopped singing my father looked up and what he did not do still amazes me even today.  He did not rebuke me for stopping, he did not rebuke my brothers for not singing.  I could see in his face an unusual expression, one I would never see again.  He had been silently rebuked by his son and his son was right to do so. My father picked up a song book and began to sing as loud and as enthusiastically as he could. 

Today I led the singing at our church services.  Both our music director and his back up were out with illness.  It fell upon me to lead the people in worship.  I prayed late into the night last night for God to prepare my heart for worship and also the hearts of the people.  I gave the choir a pep talk before services began.  When I opened our service with prayer I asked God to move the hearts of the people to worship.  Now, the LORD can only move those people that are His and those willing not to quench His Spirit.  My prayer was answered and many sang with great zeal while others showed no enthusiasm for worship at all.  I was truly full of joy as I praise the LORD with singing.  The evening services were held in our Sunday School classroom because the A/C in the auditorium is out.  I let the people choose the songs and we made a truly joyful noise unto the LORD.  All in all this has been a great day!!

Enthusiasm is contagious.  If every church member would be filled with the Holy Spirit of God and have a genuine enthusiasm for God's Word and worship the church would grow by leaps and bounds and lost souls would be saved.  It is my prayer that God will move His people with His Holy Spirit and cause them to be REVIVED AGAIN.  God bless you. 

Lead, Led, Read, Read

I am glad I did not have to learn English as a second language.  The past tense of lead is led but the past tense of read is not red.  Why is that? 
Janie mowed her parents yard yesterday (pictured).  She was covered with dirt and dust by the time she was finished. I wish I had gotten a picture of her.  She was as dirty has I have ever seen her.  She went strait to the shower. I had changed the lawnmower blades while she was at the doctor's office with her father. I used my impact wrench and that did the trick. The blades came right off and the new ones went right back on with no problem. I cooked supper while Janie was mowing.  I did not ask permission from my mother-in-law to do so.  I opened her freezer and dug through there and found the oldest package of peas she had.  They had been put in the freezer the year Janie and I moved to Hillsboro.  I took out some roast that she had cooked and frozen three years ago.  I put both of these in the same pot and cooked them together.  When they were through I spooned the chunks of roast out of the peas and put them on a plate by themselves.  I made some macaroni and cheese, put everything on the table while my mother-in-law set out the plates and place mats.  Janie finished her shower and we were ready to eat.  My mother-in-law had never thought of cooking roast and peas together in the same pot.  "It saves electricity" I said "and saves washing a pot."   
We are back in Hillsboro having arrived at 1:16 this morning.  I have been working on the sermon for Sunday and stopped long enough to make a pot of homemade chili.  Normally when it is 94 degrees outside you would not think about making chili but I was hungry for it so with the inside temp at 80 I made chili. We had to run to Wal-Mart to get a few things and now its back to work, reading.
I may be leading the singing tomorrow in our morning services.  I ought to have the sound man put Jason  upon the big screen via skype and have him to lead the singing, he inherited his mother's musical talents not mine, thank the Lord. I lead the singing at the nursing home at least once a month and enjoy doing so.  I will enjoy leading others in worship tomorrow.
My sister, Jean, made her trip by car safely to my mother's house.  Mother will enjoy her company for the next couple of days.  I think Jean heads back to Colorado on Monday.  God bless you.

Puzzle Done

The Jig Saw Puzzle is done.

We finished the puzzle.  Janie did most of it while I was reading.  I had a good talk with Jason today and he and his are doing well.  I talked for an hour with my brother, Steve, also doing well.  I "IM'd" with my daughter Sarah this afternoon, she is well.  We are now at my in-law's and they seem to be doing well.  My father-in-law has an infection so is on anti-biotics.  Hopefully this will solve the problem with his eating.  Janie and her sister, Connie, will be going with my father-in-law to the doctor tomorrow.  While they are away I am going to try to fix their lawn mower.  When I get that done I will read, read, read.  God bless you.

This is Hewitt Texas

I spent most of today reading.  I finished one book on the Song of Songs and started another. Meanwhile, Janie was working at her computer when the silence of our living room was broken by her voice saying "This is Hewitt Texas" then the silence returned.  What she said made perfect sense to me and I completely understood the remark. It needed no response from me. 

I am studying the Song of Songs which is Solomon's.  The book is difficult to understand and interpret. Some believe that the Song of Songs is locked and mankind has lost the key.  Some believe that we can not know what it means with any certainty. When you read it, though you know all the words, you still don't understand what it means.  You might not understand what Janie meant by "This is Hewitt Texas." You have the tools you need to find out.  You can call me or Janie and find out. You can email me or Janie and ask and we will tell you.  You can comment on this blog and ask and I will explain it to you.  You have the tools to rightly interpret Janie's meaning of  "This is Hewitt Texas." 

I believe that the LORD did not give to us a book and have its copies survive some 3000 years and yet deprive us of the tools to study and rightly divide that we might understand it. I do not believe that we have lost the key to unlock the Song of Songs. The key is the same that unlocks any sacred writ. Prayer, leadership of the Holy Spirit, proper reasoning and logic, knowledge of context, of culture, of customs, of true history, of language, and of literary types, just to name a few, are the tools we need to unlock the meaning of this book.  Many preachers ignore this book because of the time and energy required to unlock its meaning.  They say it is just not worth the effort.  They have 65 other books to deal with and this one is a very small one, relatively speaking. I have confirmed one thing in my studies thus far: This is the most difficult book in the entire Bible by far. 

Janie's father fell today and they had to call 911 to get some help getting him up.  He did not break anything and is doing ok.  He will be going to the dentist tomorrow to see about his sore mouth.  He is not eating much at all.  He will go to see his cancer doctor and to get a cancer treatment on Friday.  Janie will take him and I will take her mother to the beauty shop or vice versa.  We hope to see sister Davis sometime during this trip, Lord willing.  The picture is of the book I started reading today.  God bless you.

So Much to Learn So Little Time

I have so much I want to learn. Having attended and graduating from college I realized how little I knew compared to what there was to know. College just opens your eyes to see how far you have to go.  I am working, as you know, on my Doctor's degree.  I read for hours today and learned much but what I learned is so small compared to what I want and need to learn.  I want to learn something about "MySQL" database. I looked into what it would take and it seems it is not going to be quick and easy like learning to blog. 

I enjoy sharing what I learn with others, that is to say, I love to teach.  I spend an average of 4 hours a week teaching.  I spend an average of 16 hours a week studying to learn. The rest of the time is spent applying what I have learned, putting knowledge to use or ignoring what I have learned. Some things I learn knowing that I will need to teach them to others.  Some things I learn to make work easier.  When asked if I know a thing of which I am ignorant I have no qualms about saying "I don't know." I also have no fear of learning new things.  I like it. I just don't have enough time to learn all I want to know.  I expect that when I walk the New Earth I will have all the time I need to learn all that I want to learn.  What a wonderful day that will be. The picture is of me, Janie, and my parents when I received by Bachelor's from TBI. 

We had a good Bible study this morning and good services down in Lorena tonight.  We were blessed to have visitors in the services there.  Tomorrow I will spend most of the day reading books on the Song of Songs. I will break up my reading sessions with some exercise. My wrist has not done well today.  The ring and pinkie fingers of my right hand were numb and at times hurt.  I don't have that problem with the brace on.  I left it off a little to long today.  I will not make that mistake tomorrow.  The second picture is of our grandchildren Joshua and Ruth. God bless you.

Adventure

Janie and our granddaughter Hannah

I mowed the yard this afternoon.  It was hot out and I thought that allergy season might be over for me so I did not wear a mask nor did I take an allergy pill.  I sneezed and coughed for a while during and after mowing.  I guess I was wrong about that allergy season.
I have picked out a text and sermon for Sunday morning and night, worked on the lesson for Wednesday night, finished and emailed the bulletin for Sunday.  I am now ready to work on my thesis for the next three hours.  I just thought I would blog first.
Our oldest daughter called and they are doing well.  They are considering how they are going to spend their summer vacation.  Scott is thinking about going on a mission trip to Thailand and while he is gone for three weeks Stacie is thinking about making a trip to Michigan to see Scott's mother.  They certainly have a sense of adventure.  Travel to a country in political turmoil and drive cross country with five small kids in a used mini van.  Sounds kind of like an adventureous 52 year old man that I know who went snow sking for the first time in his life and then later tried to hike across the desert miles from any help and who still has dreams of hiking across the Grand Canyon. 
Well its off to thesis research land.  God bless you.

Euphemisms

"I don't get out much" is a euphemism for being ignorant.  That is to say that that phrase sounds nicer than saying "I am ignorant."  "He passed away" is a euphemism for "He died."  Euphemisms sound better than blunt reality. Today I heard a phrase that sounded funny.  One lady said to another "I love your ear screws."  What is an ear screw?  I knew what it was from the context of the remark.  I googled "ear screws" and sure enough they make earrings for people with non-pierced ears that are literally a "C" clamp. You tighten the screw to clamp the thing to your ear lobe.  Seems like that would be uncomfortable. Janie does not wear earrings though she used to. An elderly lady once told me the story that she heard one lady say to another concerning her ear screws that "If that were a growth on your ear you couldn't get to the doctor's fast enough to have it removed."  Talk about being blunt, that takes the prize.
I preached a sermon on how you can know that you are saved.  It was a very blunt sermon.  I used no euphemisms whatsoever.  I used the plainest of terms to tell my congregation just exactly what you must do to be saved.  If you have not done this you are lost and headed for hell. Euphemisms have a proper place in language.  They can be used to comfort those in grief.  They can sooth hurt feelings. They can admonition and rebuke gently and persuasively.  Euphemisms have no place in the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  People need to hear the truth as plainly and bluntly as it can be told.  There are six things you need if you have not been saved.  If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior you need these six things.
1. You need to believe in God. (Hebrews 11:6)
2. You need to believe that the Bible is God's word. (2 Timothy 3:16)
3. You need to know that you are lost and condemned. (John 3:18)
4. You need to know how to be saved. (Acts 16:31; Luke 13:3; Romans 10:13)
5. You need to want to be saved. (Acts 26:28; Acts 24:25)
6. You need to repent and believe in Jesus Christ NOW. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Tomorrow morning I will be preaching at the nursing home. It would not surprise me at all if I used some euphemisms when speaking to that audience.  They need and deserve soft words and gentle phrases of greatest respect and honor. 

Tuesday is Bible day as well with the ladies in the morning and Faith MBC of Hewitt in the evening.  I will enjoy both immensely. The first picture is of the church building where our newest son-in-law is now the pastor. Sarah called us today and asked what Monday would be good for us to go with them to Dallas to spend the day sightseeing.  We agreed on June 7th, Lord willing. She wants to go see the aquarium in Dallas and then go to some very large mall of which she is familiar. The second picture is of Janie's roses on the north end of our house in Hillsboro. God bless you.

Warp Speed

Janie and I painted the bunk bed finishing up about 1:00 Saturday morning. I got up late and spent the morning reviewing the sermon for Sunday.  Janie attempted to mow her parents yard but ran into some technical difficulty.  One of the blades bent and since both blades were in bad shape they had to be replaced.  I took her into town to buy new ones.  The effort to replace them was unsuccessful.  It is going to take some extra work and effort to replace the blades, a job I will have to undertake on the next trip. Not being able to fix the lawn mower it was off to deliver and setup the bunk bed. As you can see from the picture that task was accomplished successfully. 

We went over to my mother's and fixed the light.  It was not a complicated fix.  The picture is of mother's painted barn of which she is very proud.  Janie drove us home while I slept in the car. It usually takes three hours to travel from Henderson to Hillsboro but when you fall to sleep during the journey it is like Star Trek's warp speed you get there in a matter of minutes or at least is seems that way. 
I will head for bed now and get up early for prayer and mediation.  I expect good services tomorrow and a good VBS meeting afterward.  God bless you.

Water

What was the best water you ever drank? Now don't answer to quickly, think on it. Your answer might be based on how thirsty you were.  The thirstiest you had ever been might make the water that quenched it the best water you ever drank.  To me the decision is not based at all on thirst.  It is based on relationship. My grandfather who I called "Papa" use to have a metal water jug in the back of his pickup truck.  He would put a large chunk of ice in that water jug.  I use to love it when he would pull the lid off that jug and fill it with water and let me drink right out of the lid.  That water was best because of the sweet memory it brings to my mind of my grandfather and his old black pickup truck. 
My soul was thirsty once and there was only one source of water to quench that thirst.  That source was Jesus Christ.  I tried to quench my thirsting soul with the things of this world but the best water is the true water of life, Jesus Christ.  It is the best because of the resulting relationship.  I am His and He is mine. 

I drank a lot of water yesterday.  It was 91 degrees while I was outside working. The picture is of the two girls that will be sleeping on the bunk bed.  The older one, Emma, brought me a glass of ice water while I was working.  They both were very helpful handing me screws and moving things.  I warned them that the saw was going to be loud so they should cover their ears.  The younger one, Anna, would run into the house to escape the noise.  Janie and I stayed up late last night painting the bunk bed. It is finished now and ready to be delivered.  We will do that this afternoon.  My mother called with an electrical problem.  One of the floresent light fixtures smoked when my brother put a bulb in it.  She seemed concerned about it so I will go by there on my way back to Hillsboro.  God bless you.

High Occupancy Vehicle

I like to blog every day but it is just not working out that way.  We got up early this morning and went to Dallas for Clint's surgery.  The traffic was not near as bad as I was expecting.  With Janie along we were able to use the HOV lane and that sure saved time.  We arrived about 5 minutes before Clint and his parents.  The surgery went very well.  We drove through some heavy rain on the way back to Hillsboro.  We left the house at 7:30 this morning and got home about 3:30.  It has been a long day.  We are in Henderson now and Janie's parents are doing well.  Her dad did not eat anything today and we are not sure what's up with that. 

We took a walk this evening and it was cool outside after the rain.  Tomorrow I plan to work on the bunk bed for my niece.  If all goes well I will have that project finished by Saturday.  The picture is one Janie took yesterday of me working on part of the bunk bed. 

Janie started a jigsaw puzzle (pictured) last night after I had gone to bed .  We enjoyed helping mother with hers when she was at our house so we bought us one.
The thesis is coming along well.  I have about 50 index cards most of these from the book I am reading right now.  I am half way through the book and the next book on my agenda is even thicker.  I will finish the one I am reading now next week and get started on the next one.  I have learned much and am anxious to get started actually writing and sharing what I have learned.
Sarah called and said Justin was sick, sicker than she had ever seen him.  He was filling better this evening.  Stacie called and it seems Elijah's doctor's appointment went well.  He has gained something like four pounds and three inches. God bless you.

Proud Parent

We had a Bible day today.  We started with a Bible study with the ladies which went long.  We did not finish up until 11:40 whereas we are normally through by 11:00.  The ladies had lots of questions and excellent discussion.  I am thinking we should add a song or two to add some praise.

We went to the hospital in Whitney for the first time since I have lived here in Hillsboro.  It is a tiny hospital and very cozy.  We entered by way of the emergency room and the lady at the desk took us right to the room. Afterward we went down to Lorena for church services and that went long as well.  We normally leave by 7:10 or so but this time it was 7:45.  We are back home now and I plan to work on the Sermon for Sunday before heading for bed. My son sent me the bulletin for this Sunday and I added my part to it.  I have that emailed in and ready to go.  My son did an excellent job on his part. 

I don't know that I say this enough but I am very proud of my son.  It is the desire of every father that his son surpass him and mine truly has.  He is smart, hard working, Godly, and skillful with his hands.  He can fix most anything including computers. He also picked a very good wife who has been a blessing to him and she is a good mother and a Godly woman.

I am also proud of my daughter Stacie.  Stacie has turned out to be a fantastic mother, teacher, writer, Godly, smart, and tough.  She had an 11 pound 4oz baby with no med's at all and that is tough. I am as proud of her as I can be.  She has a wonderful Godly husband who is smart, patient, and a great father.

I am proud of Sarah. Sarah is also very smart and loves animals.  She is deep thinker and is also tough, just ask chicken snakes.  She is very good with computers and is perhaps the fastest typest that I know. She has a Godly husband who is amazingly skillful with his hands and a very hard worker who has forgotten more about carpentry and mechanical things than I ever knew.  My children have made me proud and I thank God for them.  God bless you.

How do you spell blog?

It seems I have not blogged in so long I have forgotten how. Actually I have started a new blog today for Walnut Street MBC (http://walnutstreetmbc.blogspot.com/). I have been extra busy and that is why I have not blogged. The cost is worth it for I did get a lot of work done. I have the MBA of Texas Church letter form online and ready to go. You can check that out at http://www.baptistville.org/ and I have also done some work for sullivansupply.com.

I have a sermon on the subject of "How I Know I am Saved" just about ready to go for Sunday morning. I have not studied the Sunday School lesson yet. Wednesday night I will be preaching from Philippians chapter 4 and I always like preaching from that text. Sunday night will find us in the book of Acts learning about Scriptural Church Association, unless the Holy Spirit leads me elsewhere. Jason has not returned the bulletin to me yet so if I do not here from him by tomorrow night I will work up the bulletin and have that ready for our bulletin publisher to print out Wednesday night.

We will have Bible study in the morning and Janie and I will go down to Lorena for services there tomorrow night. In between these I plan to work on a wood project in the garage.

I would like for those of you who read this blog to give me your opinion about something. I would like to have 6 laying hens in a coop in the backyard here at the parsonage. I like fresh eggs. Should I do this or not? Is this a bad Idea? Leave me a comment please. The picture is of our two daughters just a few years ago. God bless you.

Careful

I went over to Janie's Uncle Trenton this morning and had a good visit. I had to be careful on his narrow winding road not have a head on with an on coming car. The last two times I have been to his house I have met a car coming from the other direction. I went downtown to get a filter for his a/c. They did not have the size he needed so I bought one that was the right width but 1 inch too long and cut it down to size. We went back over to his house this evening and installed it and it fit like a glove. Janie had not seen him in a while so we stayed for a short visit. He is still pretty sharp. I tried to get away without him paying me for the filter but he was not having it.

I went by to check on my mother and when I pulled up to her house I could see she had been painting her shed. She is painting it red. I went in and found her napping. She had just come in to eat some lunch and take a rest. She had painted the back side of the shed and wanted me to see what she had done. She had gotten out the extension ladder and painted all the way up the the eave of the roof a distance from the ground of about 12 feet. She was going to wait until late this evening to paint some more. She seems happy and just loves working so I say let her go. I advised her to be careful and not endanger her life from heat stroke or a fall. She says she is taking it easy. I will take a picture of the shed after it is painted and post it here.

Our plans for Saturday have changed completely. We were going to go by and see Sister Davis and visit the plant farm but now we have a funeral to attend. The lady who died was a classmate of my mother-in-law and she was the mother-in-law to a lady with whom Janie worked for several years. Janie's mother wants to go to the funeral as well so we plan to take her with us. We did not bring any dress clothes with us so I went by Wal-mart tonight and picked up some dress clothes but Janie could not find anything suitable for her. She will try some other stores in the morning. We could have driven back to Hillsboro tonight and then back the Henderson in the morning but thought it better just to try to find some clothes here.

Janie and I took a walk this afternoon. It has been over a week since I walked last. I need to make walking a higher priority. I just did not want to be rude to my mother by leaving her sitting in our living room idle while I went out for a walk. I took this picture of a plant called Bull Neddle. If you have never touched this plant you do not know what you are missing. It stings and burns an causes swelling. When you go walking in Texas you want to be careful not to touch this plant. God bless you.

Tickets booked

We booked our tickets for France. We leave out of DFW and fly to Frankfurt, Germany and changing planes we fly to Barcelona, Spain. It seems odd to fly to the far side of France and then to the near side. It is a three hour drive from the Barcelona airport to our son's house in Magrie, France. We are very excited about going and will love being there for the birth of our tenth grandchild.

We got mother back to her house safe and sound. I sprayed the house for bugs per her request and Janie turned the ring volume up on her phone, seems she is having trouble hearing it ring. She got rid of her answering machine saying she never used it. We headed over to Janie's parents and Janie worked on orders while I took a long nap. Her dad is still not eating much but is better. He was asleep in his chair when we arrived and Janie woke him to say hello. It seems like he is sleeping a lot lately. Janie's mother was in the process of making a casserole when we arrived and we had that for supper. It was really good. She sure can cook. She bought some new cookware which indicates she plans to keep on cooking.

Tomorrow morning I will go visit with Janie's uncle, Trenton. I am going to see about getting him a new cell phone. His old one went for a swim. I plan to call sister Davis Saturday morning and go by and see her. The picture is of our 9th grandchild, Elijah. God bless you.

1998

1998 was a good year. I was only 43 years old and my oldest daughter was already married and my son married in August of that year. 1998 is also what it is going to cost Janie and I to fly over to France to see our new granddaughter. We are hopeful that the Icelandic volcano will not cause us problems going or returning.

I worked on the baptistville.org website today. I put up a new form for camp registration. The other one was not spam proof but this one is. I like it better because it will email back the person who filled it out so that they have a confirmation that it was received. I am going to put a similar form for churches to fill out on the MBA of Texas link from Baptistville. It will allow them to fill out their church letter online and save them a stamp. I am going to encourage its use at the next MBA of Texas meeting.

We have enjoyed having mother here. She seems to have enjoyed her stay. We are going to take her home in the morning. We will return to Hillsboro on Saturday stopping by Tyler to see Sister Davis if we can and then go by the plant farm to let Janie spend her gift certificate on some flowers. The picture is of the puzzle we have been working on for the past 2 days. God bless you.

Mother's Day 3

We had ladies Bible Study this morning and my mother really enjoyed it. She was impressed with how enthusiastic the ladies were about Bible study. We spent the day getting some work done. Mother worked out in the yard while Janie and I worked in the house. Mother came in and we started a Jig saw puzzle. Janie and mother are working on it right now. I will try to get a picture of it tomorrow to post here. Mother is doing well and her wounds seem to be healing. We are going to carry her home Thursday morning.

Jason emailed that he would like for us to come to France August 30th or the 31st. We want to spend two weeks there so that would have us returning on September 14th. We certainly look forward to seeing that baby girl. If the weather permits I would like to do some day hiking with the grandkids. The picture is of Jason on his first birthday.

I learned new things today while working for Sullivan Supply. What I learned I will be able to use on the Baptistville website. I like learning new things. I certainly have learned much in the process of researching for my thesis. I firmly believe that you are never too old to learn. God bless you.

Uno

I left mother and Janie at the house and went to visit at the nursing home this morning. The services there were good. After that visit I went by the post office and then back to the house. I was going to stay at home and read while Janie and mother went to the Wal-Mart but mother looked disappointed that I was not going to go with them so I set down my laptop and head off to Wal-Mart. Mother got her material and we got some things for the yard. When we got home we went to work in the yard. Janie and mother had cleaned out the back yard flower beds while I was at the nursing home. The place is looking really good. This afternoon mother took a short nap while I worked on my thesis. When she got up from her nap we went into the dinning room and played the card came "Uno." We had to learn this game and it was easy enough. We had fun. Janie won and mother came in second. We just finished supper and are watching the news.

My brother, Steve, is off the trail for the year. He is heading home on Sunday. I am not sure how many miles he walked but I think it was way farther than he had ever walked before. I am anxious to visit with him when he returns to hear the details.

Jason and Angie are going to have a girl. The birth date will be the 1st or 2nd of September. We need to discuss with them what date would be best for them for our visit.

The first picture was taken today at Wal-mart of mother and Janie looking at material. The second is of mother while we played Uno. God bless you.

Mother's Day

My children seem to have this competition going over who calls first on special days like today. The phone rang this morning and I saw that it was my oldest daughter and I answered "Your number one." In about 10 seconds our other daughter called and while Janie was on the phone I had to break the bad news to her that she was second. Mother's day in France is celebrated in June so Jason was off the hook. This picture is one I took the other day of Janie on the phone.

I am a task oriented person. When given a task I am all over it. I plan, work, and press until the task is done. Giving me a job to do is like throwing a bone to a dog. When I accept responsibility for a task I become focused on getting it done. I also have a one track mind. It is difficult for me to do multiple tasks at the same time. I am happiest when the task at hand consumes my complete attention. I would just love to drop everything and work on my Doctoral Thesis. I would love to knock that task out and git-R-dun. I have multiple tasks, jobs, and responsibilities. Juggling these so that they get taken care of is stressful.

Mother has gone to bed and Janie and I are up working. I just finished the Bulletin for next Sunday. I want to give mother some attention while she is here so I will try to work while she is asleep or otherwise occupied. Janie will take her shopping tomorrow while I am helping in the services at the nursing home. Mother wanted to know if I was going to have a busy week. I assured her that as weeks go this one will not be that busy. She is not in my way and she is not keeping me from important work. I am not too busy to take time to enjoy her company. We will enjoy playing games, working on puzzles and visiting. I will take a break from these activities to make sure that I have my work done.

The Bible is clear on the subject of the brevity of life. It is short indeed. I want to walk in it the way God wants me to. Honoring my mother and father is an important thing to God. Inviting my mother here was part of that task. It is good that she is here for Janie has been a big help taking care of mother's cut elbow. It is still looking good and no sign of infection.

Janie's Dad needs our prayers. He is not eating and drinking as he should. Hopefully he will improve this next week. Well its off to bed for me. God bless you.

Mother's Day Tomorrow

We made it back to Hillsboro with my mother in tow. She is doing well. She was sore all over from the fall. Janie changed the dressing on her elbow and it is looking good. Mother's hand was swollen a little but is better now. We worked in the flower beds a little this afternoon. Mother brought some flowers for us to put out and they are in place. Janie was given a gift certificate to a plant farm near Tyler that has lots of flowers. We will try to go by there on our way home next week. Mother laid her hands on one of our sick tomato plants and after plucking away yellow leaves and such it looks a lot better. I think she has a special touch when it comes to plants. Mother took this first picture using my cell phone. This is her first time to take a digital picture. Next thing you know she will be blogging. The second picture is of Janie and Mother looking at the front flower bed talking about the roses.

Tomorrow is mother's day and we are expecting a good crowd at church. We will be having a special recognition of the mother's that are present. The sermon is titled "Learning from the best child ever how to honor your mother." God bless you.

Mother Fell

My mother fell today. She was out in her storage shed which she had just under pinned to keep rabbits from going under it. She wanted to paint the shed so went inside to see if she had a roller and pan. She has a small step ladder and was on it when she stepped off of it and lost her balance. She fell backward on the floor. She called Janie's cell phone and told her she had fallen and cut her head and needed some help. Janie was in town with her mother and sister and they went right over to check on her. I was with my father-in-law whom we had just taken to the doctor in Tyler and had just gotten home. I headed over to mother's and Janie and her younger sister were working on her. She had a cut on the back of her head about an inch in length. She had a real big cut on her elbow. I could tell it was going to have to have stitches so we taped up the elbow and headed for the Emergency Room. They CAT scanned her head and everything was fine there. They put 3 stitches in her elbow and then 2 in her head. The doctor then look at the elbow again and it had bulged out to the size of a lemon. He had to take the stitches back out and drain the blood and clot that had gathered under the skin. He then sewed it up again and put a compression bandage on it. Mother looked bad with blood on her shirt and on her skirt. We took her home and she was feeling fine. She is anxious to go with us in the morning to Hillsboro. We can help to dress her wounds for the next several days. She was in very good spirits through out the whole ordeal. She at first refused the CAT scan but I talked her into it. We took her home and she is doing well. The picture is of my mother back in the mid 1940's.

We are back at Janie's parents house. Her dad has not been eating and has been sleeping a lot. The doctor made some recommendations and hopefully they will help him. We took my father-in-law in his truck. To turn the A/C blower on in his truck you have to turn the switch on and then take the hammer out of the back seat and whack the blower housing under the dash several times. The old truck needs some attention but it is doing okay for having 153,000 miles on it.

I got a book in the mail yesterday that is at least 2 inches thick and the whole thing is on the Song of Solomon. It makes me tired just looking at it sitting there. It is going to take me a long time to read that one. I am enjoying the research and have learned much.

We went out to eat with Sarah and Justin tonight at the same restaurant where I first laid eyes on my son-in-law. They gave Janie her mother's day gift and we enjoyed a good visit. Justin is very good at building things. I got some pointers from him tonight as to the best way to make a bunk bed. I am going to try to make one soon. The second picture is of Justin and Sarah with Jason and Angie's kids. Well its off to bed. God bless you.

Ambiguity

Ambiguity (uncertainty of meaning) is a word that I use a lot in connection with the Song of Songs which is Solomon's. When I read "The Song", as I have come to call it, It does not seem to get any less ambiguous (having several possible meanings; difficult to comprehend, distinguish or classify). There was once a time when Jesus' disciples were hearing Him teach in parables and they had no idea what He was talking about. They approached him later after the crowds were gone and expressed their frustration over His ambiguous discourse. He gave them a very unambiguous answer. He thoroughly explained the meaning to them. I would like it very much if I could ask the LORD to tell me in the simplest of terms and using the simplest of words exactly what it is that this book is trying to tell me. I am convinced that it is the most difficult text of the entire Bible. Actually that is why a chose it for my doctoral thesis. If I can clear it up, that is to make it less ambiguous, I will be satisfied with my work having a most rewarding sense of accomplishment. The journey to understanding "The Song" will be one worth writing about. I expect to make many wrong turns on this journey and, due to errors, waste much time. I will chronicle these and set forth for the next traveler a map of how to get over and around mount ambiguity.

Today was the national day of prayer. We had a better than expected attendance at our service tonight. We had originally planned to head for Henderson tonight but will go in the morning instead. Janie's sister is coming in for a visit and will take her mother to the hair dresser in the morning. Janie and I will take her dad to the doctor tomorrow. I am afraid that he will not be able to get out of our small car since he has had a lot of difficulty getting up from a sitting position. I may have to take him by myself in his pickup truck. Saturday morning we will go by and get my mother and bring her to Hillsboro. We are looking forward to her visit.

The mother's day sermon is ready to go and it is anything but ambiguous. I have not studied the Sunday School lesson yet but should get that done tomorrow. The picture is of a flower next to my mother's front porch. God bless you.

Brace

I have a brace on my wrist (pictured). Several years ago I had a problem with my right hand. I started wearing a brace night and day, especially night and my hand got better. I put the brace away for years and now I am back in it again. I think it is all the typing I have been doing on my thesis. I have 39 cards now. This second picture is of my computer screen. It shows the book I am reading on the left, via Kindle, the card file in the upper right, and the dictionary in the lower right. This laptop computer is a very convenient way to write a thesis. Back to the brace, I am wearing it night and day and when I have it on my hand feels fine. When it is off, my little finger and edge of my hand begins to feel numb along with my ring finger. There is also a burning pain every now and then when I bend my wrist to an extreme angle. The last time this happened I was spending a lot of time on a computer keyboard programing for Lebus Mfg. Company. I expect that after a few weeks with the brace on the hand will be back to normal and then I will wear it only when I type.

We went to church early tonight so Janie could help the junior choir practice for their special. They will be singing at the National Day of prayer service that our church is having tomorrow night. We had a visitor in our services. He was a middle aged man who, if his story is true, was walking and hitch hiking his way to Ohio. Our church gave him a gift card to Wal-Mart to help him with food for his journey. He was a friendly, talkative, likable fellow. His intention was just to stop for our services and then head on his way. I talked with him for a long time and I hope he will make it home to Ohio safely.

This last picture is of a rose bush on the east end of our house. God bless you.

Where have you been?

I have not blogged in a couple of days so you might well ask "Where have you been?" Sunday was a busy day. Our services were good and well attended. I spent the afternoon working and after the evening services I worked some more. I just had some things I needed to get done. Monday I spent working on my thesis. I am reading a really good book on the Song of Songs. It is so good in fact that if plagiarism was not a bad thing I would cut and paste most of it for mine. I do not agree with everything he has written so my book, he said arrogantly, will be better. Monday afternoon I had a headache and just felt bad so I took a short nap then went back and took a longer one. I went to bed about 7:30 and got up this morning at 6:15. After burning the candle at both ends you have to drop it every now and then. So I am rested now and back to work. So that's where I have been.

This afternoon we are going to make a trip to Waco to see about picking up Mother's Day gifts to give to the mother's at church this Sunday. I also need to pick up my mother a gift and Janie needs to get her mother one as well. I am not sure how many mother's day gifts I have given to Janie but I think it is not many. I bought her one this year. Those years where I did not get her anything I would answer my children's objections with "She's not MY mother." Would it be okay to say that of all the mothers I know she is my favorite?

Tonight I plan to spend on my thesis. I hope to finish this book this week. I need to move on to the 60, or so, others I have to read. I must read at least 5 books a month to stay on schedule. I do not plan on preaching through any books of the Bible this coming year but will instead preach texts that I have already researched saving me a lot of time on weekly sermon preparation. I will preach some of the ones that I preached during the seven years I pastored at Gum Springs. Well I need to do lunch. The first picture is of Janie doing one of her favorite things. The second is of flowers we saw while out for a walk with the grandkids. The red is Texas Buckeye and the yellow white is Honeysuckle. Stacie and I introduced her girls to eating Honeysuckle nectar. God bless you.

My Car

The grandkids got us up early this morning. Later I went outside to put the new license plates on my in-law's van. Little Jonathan (2 yrs old) followed me. I got my cordless drill out and he said "screwdriver?" I said "Yes that's right." He followed me to the van where he said "My car?" I said "no." From that moment on every car was his car no matter how I protested that it was not.

We enjoyed Stacie and the grandkids. We headed home at noon and made it back safely. I will be preaching from Job 31:14 tomorrow. The picture is of my mother-in-law holding Elijah. God bless you.