Prayer

Our 3 kids with their youngests

Sense it is a fact that God is real and that He is a very present help in time of trouble it stands to reason that prayer is a powerful thing.  Everytime I talk to Janie I get a response from her.  Everytime I talk to God my heavenly Father I get a response.  When we returned from camp this past week I was very sick.  I woke up Friday morning about 4:30 nauseated and having the first of many bouts of diarhea.  I felt really bad.  We had a 3 hour drive back to Hillsboro and I dreaded it.  One of the boys in our group was also sick.  We made it home without any problem and it was an answer to my prayer.  I ran a little fever with it Friday night and all day Saturday.  My old back problem decided to rear its ugly head at the same time.  So between fighting the virus and the pain I was not having a good day.  I prayed and asked the Lord to help me.  He did.  By Sunday morning my illness was over and the pain in my back was gone.  I had plenty of strength to perform my duties on Sunday.  Prayer is a powerful thing.  Now some may argue that the virus just ran its course and that my back pain just responded to my laying flat on my back on the floor but I believe with all my heart that God heard my prayer and helped me. 

Our oldest granddaughters at camp

On Monday this week our missions treasurer had surgery and Janie and I went down to Waco to be there for it.  The surgery went well.  Today we made a trip to Palestine, Texas to see our daughter and her family.  We ate supper together and had a good visit.  I helped my son-in-law with some electrical work.  He is remodeling their kitchen and needed to have some electrical wires and fixtures removed. 

My mother in her new room talking with Steve

My mother called and was all worked up over having to move rooms.  She is now in room 5 and no longer in the secure wing of the nursing home.  I scolded the nursing home official for not giving us some notice so that we could be there to help in the moving process.  My brothers went to the nursing home and took care of everything.  The Bible says that a brother was born for adversity.   I was glad that my brothers were able to drop everything and get over there on such short notice to help get mother settled down and settled in to her new room. My brother, Ralph, sent me this picture.  My brothers were an answer to prayer.  God bless you.

The Test

Me and the grandkids at the Waco Zoo

The boys passed their test this morning.  Their behavior has been great and we have had a good time.  I took them to the park and let them stay as long as they wanted.  At 92 degrees it did not take long for them to want to go back the the A/C.  Jason and Angie will be here in just a few minutes and the kids seem excited about seeing them.  This afternoon I have some work I must get done so after hearing a report about camp I will head to the office. 
I will be teaching three lessons from the Song of Songs at church camp.  I will also preach Tuesday night at camp.  Camp is a really good time!  A little quiet time will be in order week after next and then 2 five day long revivals in August will be a good end to this busy summer.  God bless you.

Back to Blogging

Caleb copying Exodus chapter 20.

Well I just wanted to blog to let everyone know I am still alive.  Most people know this by way of Facebook.  It has been a busy summer so far and though Janie and I sleep in the same bed it has felt like we have seen nothing of each other this summer.  I go to bed around 11 or so and she goes to bed around 3:00 AM.  I get up and take care of grandkids while she sleeps.  I manage to get my work done in spite of the disruption to my schedule.  It has been good spending time with the grandkids and we have made some memories that they will not soon forget.  Jason and Angie are at church camp this week while we baby sit their kids.  We have had some fun with them and we have had some trouble as well.  The two older boys were scribes today.  They spent the day copying Exodus Chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5.  It was punishment for refusing to behave themselves.  It made for a quiet day for it took them all day to accomplish this task.  We will put them to the test in the morning to see if they have learned their lesson or not. 

Our Wednesday night class has really grown

This year has been unusual.  I have been stung twice by red wasps. I ate the hottest pepper I have ever eaten in my entire life. I got my doctor's degree. We had our whole family together at the same time.  We added two rooms to the cottage.  I lost a filling in a tooth and then fell asleep in the dentist chair before and during the filling of the tooth.  The dentist filled the tooth without gas or any deadening what so ever per my request.  I did not feel a bit of pain.  It was just odd to doze off while having a tooth filled.  I must have been really tired.  Our Wednesday night class has tripled in size this year.  I will become the second longest pastor Walnut Street Baptist church has had when I complete my 10th year this year.  2012 is truly going to be a year to remember.  God bless you.

Our Whole Family Together, including Sarah expecting our 13th Grandchild

Thesis, Done

Me at TBI turning in the rough draft of the thesis

The thesis is finished and the three bound copies have been turned in.  Time is no more abundant now than it was during the writing of the thesis.  Work of getting the book written, that will be the end result of the thesis,  now takes the front burner.  It is not a lot of work to get the book ready but it is tedious.  It took staying up all night to finish the rough draft of the thesis just so it could be turned in Friday Morning.  It required a trip to the store at 3:00 in the morning to get ink for the printer. It was fortunate that they were open and had the right ink cartridge in stock. Graduation is May 26th and I can't wait to hang that "sheep skin" on the wall.
My next writing project is a fiction novel entitled "Tribman."  I am really looking forward to getting that book published and I believe it will really help people to understand how things are going to be in the future here on the earth.  The Bible has much to say on the subject of the future yet many of the details of what life will be like on the earth in those days are vague.  "Tribman" will help the reader to understand what is about to happen and just how drastically mankind's life upon earth is going to be changed.  "Tribman" will be based upon the prophecies of the Bible.

My daily salad

Janie and I are on a diet which I expect to be on for the rest of my life.  We are eating almost no processed foods and a whole lot of fresh fruits and raw vegetables.  We eat mostly chicken and fish as far as meat is concerned.  I have lost 8 pounds and my blood pressure is down.  (I think the blood pressure improvement may be more about the thesis being done than the diet.)  Stress really does cause your blood pressure to rise!
The work of getting the cottage ready for our son and his family to live in while they are in Henderson this summer is going well.  We are adding a second bathroom to the cottage.  It will be a half bath to start with and later we will add the bathtub.  So far we have spent very little money on it due to the fact that my son-in-law let us draw from a large pile of treated lumber that he had accumulated while working in Henderson.  It has saved us about $200.00 so far.

Janie trimming the roses at the cottage

I enjoy working on such projects and the exercise is really good for me.  As a pastor I sit, study, and read a lot and that is not good for my health.  I have been offered help with this remodeling project at the cottage but have turned it down because I just like doing the work myself with Janie at my side.  I have learned over the years to be patient and to work smarter.  When I used to work with my father on such projects he would push to get the job done as fast as possible.  He would work from sunup to sundown.  I believe hard work is good and there is a time to push to get a job done but I also believe there is a time to relax and enjoy the work without the pain.

Janie and my mother at the nursing home

I go weekly to see my mother and she is doing well.  She says she is not going to attend the family reunion this year.  I personally think that it is a good idea that she does not attend.  The routine of the nursing home keeps her from being upset.  I took her to buy shoes one day and after visiting the 4th store and finding nothing, she was crying uncontrollably.   Last week when I went by to see her she was doing great.  She was smiling and happy the whole time we were there.  
It is good to be blogging again and I have a whole host of pictures that I will be sharing here in the weeks to come.  It was almost a month ago since my last blog.  Our 12th grandchild is due any day now and we are anxious for her arrival.  Her picture will be here and on my facebook page within a matter of hours after it is taken so stay tuned.  God bless you.

Ecclesiastes 5:3

Naomi sporting new hat

"For a dream cometh through the multitude of business..." (Ecc 5:3). 
I keep dreaming about my thesis.  I suppose when you have something on your mind all day long it is bound to show up in your dreams.  I dreamed last night that I found inside my thesis a massive number of citings which I had forgotten about.  Another look at it this morning revealed it was only a dream.  I did make good progress yesterday though my work was interrupted by a meeting I had to attend at the church property with the Hillsboro city manager.  That meeting went well and I got right back to work.  I have over 45,000 words in the thesis as of this morning and have 51 citations out of the 80 that is required.  Today my goal is to reach 60 citations and 47,000 words so I had better get to it.  I am beginning to run short on sources to cite so I may have to head over to TBI and check out the Library again.  God bless you.

Called on the Count of Rain

The flowers at the cottage sure have enjoyed and prospered with the rain we have had this spring.
I had to stop working on my thesis because of a thunderstorm so I thought I might blog. The thesis is at 44,500 words right now and I have officially sited 35 sources. I have 80 to site in all for the minimum requirement. I had hoped to make better progress than I have this week but I was sick Monday whereby I lost my lunch. I spent the day in bed mostly with a migraine headache. Tuesday we came to Henderson but I got very little done on the thesis. Wednesday was the best and Thursday rivaled it. Today the storm arrived and I had to unplug everything so as to avoid damage to my computer. I am posting this blog with my IPhone which is safe from the storm. God bless you.


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Location:Van Buren St,Henderson,United States

Thesis

Naomi enjoying a French fry

My blog has been on hold while I have been working on my thesis.  I have just a little over 38,000 words right now.  There only two verses left in the verse by verse exposition of the Song of Songs and I will be through with that part.  I got one of our deacons to take my Wednesday night class this week so I could spend the whole week in Henderson to work on the thesis.  It has paid off for I made a lot of progress this week.  I did not have federal jury duty this week and I will not have to serve next week.  I do not plan to return to Henderson next week. 
Janie and I attended a wedding last night of a woman who grew up in the church where we raised our kids.  I performed the wedding and the ceremony went very well. 
We have a baby shower to attend today and then it is back to Hillsboro.  I am really looking forward to the special Easter Sunday service we have planned.  I will be preaching from John 3:16.  God bless you.

A Slave

I am a slave.  I am owned by a very benevolent master.  Since the time I was bought by Him from my old master He has been nothing but good to me.  He had a female slave that He gave to me to be my wife.  She is owned by him as well.  We have three children, two girls and a boy, and they belong to our master as well.  We spend our days working for the master.  He provides for us everything we need and everything we own belongs to Him. 
My old master was cruel,  hateful, and mean.  I was so glad to be set free from his bondage.  It was a very high price, an incredible price, that was paid to set me free from that harsh master and to bring me into the ownership and household of my new master.  So joyous was that moment when those chains of my old master were broken that each year the first Sunday after the full moon which happens upon, or next after the 21st day of March I celebrate for that was the day the price was paid and accepted for my redemption.  Thank You my LORD and MASTER, for saving me from such cruel bondage!  Thank you for making me Your bond servant.  May I never forget the price you paid to set me free!  God bless you.

28,000 Words

My mother-in-law, Janie, and Connie putting new flowers out

I have not been blogging because of my doctoral thesis work.  I am presently a little over 28,000 words of the minimum 50,000 words the thesis must contain.  Actually the count it not important at all for my thesis will easily be over 50,000 words.  I also have to site 80 sources and that too will not be a problem.
The services Sunday were great with a visiting missionary who preached both services.  I love to preach but I also love to hear good preaching and the missionary, Bro. Teer, did an outstanding job.  Our attendance was up and things are going well.  The church got hit with an electric bill of over $10,000.00 which caused me much concern however there was a huge sum of money given to our church by the estate of one of our members that passed away several months ago which was a great blessing.  The estate also left a very large sum of money to the American Baptist Association and the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas. 
Okay, its back to the thesis, God bless you.