1 Timothy 2

It seems like this should be Friday. It just doesn't feel possible that I have to get up and go to work again tomorrow. At least today was and tomorrow will be warmer. We're supposed to get insulation in the garage and entryway either tomorrow or Saturday. That would mean we can start hanging more drywall and OSB on the walls. Of course, by "we" I mean Jon and others...I might watch and can take pictures.

Thought for the day

1 Timothy 2 has some strong encouragement to pray. Here's a spattering..."The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live. Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray--not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it."
Pretty tall order, pray for everyone you know. I think we should make big signs "...pray--not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God." and put them everywhere in an election year. And we become beautiful by our service, not by our looks. Good stuff.

Fresh Heart

It's been much nicer outside today....sunny and up to 34...things thawing for a while today. But I'm still cold in my own house tonight. It's nice that I have this wonderful blanket that Kelli made for me...thanks, Kelli!!!
Found out today that I've doubled up on NSAIDS. I asked a nurse on the phone if I could take naproxen that I have in the house even though I'm taking an antiflammatory already. When she asked and called me back she said that was fine. Apparently she didn't check my chart, or got the info wrong. Today when I called to get some more naproxen the nurse was looking at my chart and said, "You're already taking dicolfenac...you can't take both." Told her about the earlier conversation so she checked for sure and, yes, they are both nsaids, and, no, I mustn't take both. I looked it up online (probably a bad idea) and diclofenac is also the "most deadly" of nsaids while naproxen is the safest. I think I'll ask to stay on the naproxen instead since they said I could choose between the two. I love when I have to be my own doctor and do my own research on my meds... :( Mistakes happen...

Thought for the day

"So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter. May Jesus Himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech." 2 Thessalonians 2:16
There's lots of good advice here...we may be reminded of positive thinking material. However, this is not a bunch of positive mumbo-jumbo, this is the living, breathing word of God. It is God who says take a firm stand, head high, hang on. And He is promising to be the source in our lives that will give us a fresh heart and put life into our work and words. We need to see the power of these words for our daily lives. We have every reason to have confidence and hope for our daily lives, not because of any strength that lies in us, but because God promises to supply all power that we need.

Seasons of Life

My mom fell a while back. She went to the ER and got xrays that showed no breaks. However, a new xray now shows a hairline fracture in her pelvis. She won't be returning to her assisted living room. She will stay in the nursing section, and, thankfully, she's content with that. The plan is to move her stuff out on Saturday if we can work it out. Then we'll have to start on the house....ugh. I wish that part was all over.

Thought for the day

The seasons of life come and go. And I can't stop them. My life is in God's hands, and time will march on. Even as my posterity increases and grows, my own life will eventually grow smaller and my circle of involvement will decrease. How can I remain vital when my life becomes smaller? 1 Thessalonians 4 offers some insight...keep pleasing God in a living, spirited dance. God wants you to live a pure life. Don't run roughshod over others' concerns. Have a holy, beautiful life. Love one another. Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. Live in a way that commands respect.
It seems that we can continue to live well through all the seasons of life. I want to press on to be and do all that God would want in everything that lies ahead.

Mammogram, Tantrum, and 1 Peter

Today I had my annual mammogram--this one was digital. I must say it was the MOST comfortable one I've ever had. It was a very pleasant surprise! So then I went to work feeling pretty good about the whole thing. But then I found out I had a major problem with some paperwork which is going to make me go back and recalculate several days of records. A couple of other things were not going so well, and before long I was fully annoyed.
About that time, I flipped my daily calendar to find this verse "Let your adornment be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3:4 Talk about squelching a perfectly good workup to a tantrum....don't you hate/love it when He does that?

Thought for the day

How does God know what I need to hear? How does He pull it out of thin air? How did He know that (at least) one year on January 19 I would be on the verge of losing my temper and need to be reminded of what He sees as precious? The same thing happens so often with daily devotionals...the perfect word on the perfect day. Or I'm reading along in different sections of the Bible on a given day and He pulls the same message from several different passages in entirely different parts of the Word. Sometimes it's a word of encouragement or comfort. Other times, like today, it's a kick in the pants...one that I really needed.

Christian Culture

We had a mix of weather today...light rain, temps in low 30's, then a little warmer, and messy thawing. The rest of the week it's supposed to be COLD. Jon has been in the house tonight since 7:30 instead of in the garage. We're just about ready for the rest of the insulation, and then we'll be pretty close to being able to use the garage at least enough to get in and out of the house. We can't wait, but we will.

Thought for the day

I've been thinking about the way Christian culture has become so commercialized. The vast majority of us are supposed to be normal, everyday folks...working with our hands and minding our own business. We're given spiritual gifts to be used in the service of others and the body as a whole. There should of course be some in full-time Christian work of many kinds, but I wonder if we have created a culture where the gift is turned into a marketable asset. I believe that Scripture indicates that our spiritual gift(s), given by God, are simply Jesus living through us. While He may certainly work primarily in one or two particular ways in a person's life, He can and may work in any way He chooses at any time. So God may give an anointing for a thought or prayer perhaps put to music or turned into a book, but what does human nature do? It tries to turn it into a livelihood by marketing it. How many times have you bought a cd and one or two songs on it were powerful and the rest were fillers. A group takes center stage for a while, then fades just as quickly into obscurity. A writer puts out a book that helps many people, then is obliged to put out a book every year whether it's good or not. I'm not throwing stones, I just wonder if we're looking at things backwards. Maybe it's just me....

More Construction

For all of you who drive by my house on a regular basis...yes, something is going on. The outside of our building project hasn't changed in a while, but good things are happening inside this week. Soffit vents were installed, and today sheetrock is being put up in the ceiling of the garage/shop area. Insulation was blown in above the entryway today, and sheetrock may be hung on that ceiling, too. It's really starting to look like a "space" out there, and there is hope again that we may start using it before TOO long. YAY!!!
We had good help today from Brad and Trever which was MUCH appreciated!!! Tomorrow I plan to go to Tre's basketball game, but Jon is on call and will have to miss it. We got a considerable layer of snow this morning which I wasn't really expecting so everything outside is white again.
This morning I sorted and reorganized in the computer room. Mostly, I tossed...lots of garbage for our next pick up. I'm doing laundry this afternoon and hopefully work on a couple of other projects. Better get back to it!!!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Logan hasn't run away for over 48 hours!!! Of course every time she goes outside she bumps her nose into that gate to see if it will open. I guess she's not entirely stupid...just very persistent. We'll see if we can hold up our end. That sounds bad at our age.....

Moving on, I had a chance to rearrange and reorganize my space at work today...shouldn't have that much fun at work. I know, I'm weird. I can't help it. I'm not quite inspired enough to rearrange my cupboards yet, but I may get there!

Thought for the day

"My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live Him. You're deeply rooted in Him. You're well constructed upon Him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving." That is Colossians 2:6-7 from The Message.
I think these are words that a person would do well to review daily. What a start to your day...do what you know. You are already equipped, begin to take steps. If you're like me, it's easy to learn. I love to learn. I can go on a long time just soaking up things about the Lord, about prayer, about living the Christian life. But am I living it? Where does my faith hit the road and become the vibrant source of all that I say and do?
One of the sweetest things in life is to recognize that at the present moment I can let God have His way. I can practice in my attitude what I know from my study. I can set aside my irritation and treat that person with the grace that God has shown me. The Word that I read this morning applies to this very moment. When I obey, things change. I can see God work right before my eyes. These are a "few of my favorite things".
Of course, even sweeter are my grandchildren..... :)

Dan and Logan

We're watching "Dan in Real Life" again....laugh, laugh, laugh out loud!!! Ruthie Pigface Draper. Jon can't sleep in his chair because I'm laughing too loud. This little piggy...Ruthie Pigface Draper. TOO MUCH FUN!!!

Logan is insane. She ran away again this morning. Was caught by our neighbor as she was walking down Chatburn Ave pretty as you please in the traffic, because apparently the snow had become too deep for her to drag her fat belly through it.

"You are a murderer of love!!!!" Too busy laughing to do this...

Wonder Dog

Logan is an adventurer. She doesn't look like one. She doesn't act like one. But if she sees a rabbit she TRANSFORMS into Wonder Dog. We think she saw a rabbit Tuesday afternoon while she was enjoying the sunny afternoon. When Jon got home after work the gates looked closed but there was no Logan. It seems that she pushed open the temporary gate between the house and the garage and she was off and running. She's never been gone for more than 8 hours before, and when she didn't return overnight in spite of cold temperatures we thought she was a goner. We still left the back gate open, just in case. Then last evening between 5:30 and 6:00 Jon looked outside and there she was hanging out by the back gate. She was moving REALLY slowly and seemed to be hurting quite a bit, but was clean and dry and no blood. Today she has improved all day and is moving better. She still gets really stiff after lying still for a while. One thing for sure, she doesn't want to talk about where she was or what she did! No matter what questions we ask, we get the same blank look and we know she's not interested in sharing her experience. We're glad she's back. I guess we'll have to let her keep her secrets.

Thought for the day

"Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it." Psalm 37:3-5
I love these verses. Trust, dwell, cultivate, commit. All good words. All words that are anchors to the soul. They are words that help us lay aside the trivial and identify what is real and lasting in our lives. There are so many distractions and extras that are truly unnecessary even though we think we can't function without them. It used to just be TV, but now we have technology that we take with us into every area of our lives, and we actually believe it's all necessary. I have no ax to grind with the use of technology, but we must be careful to keep space in our lives for peace, for quiet, for reflection, for talking to God, for hearing from God. Constant noise, music, and visual input rob our inner peace, and while we think we are entertained we are, in fact, left in turmoil and unrest. Purposely make a choice to turn something off each day, even just for a while, and make a deliberate connection with God for even just a short time. In Him you will find peace and calm for your heart.