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Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!
Psalm 68:19

Recommended Reading
Psalm 68:19-20

If you've ever been hiking, you know those backpacks can get mighty heavy after a while. Packed with supplies (or books if you're a student), backpacks can make our shoulders ache and our back hurt. But step onto a bus or into a taxi and, oh, the relief of letting the burden slip from your shoulders as it's carried by the same vehicle that is carrying you. We still have our backpacks. We've not lost our burden. But now someone or something else is bearing it.

The New International Version renders Psalm 68:19, "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens."

The English Standard Version puts it a little differently: "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation."

And the New King James Version says: "Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!"

Which translation is best? Why not choose all of them and praise our Savior who daily bears our burdens, bears us up, and loads us with benefits.


What a glorious Lord! He who daily bears our burdens also gives us our salvation.
Bill Bright


From the devotionals of Dr. David Jeremiah

Love that one, Judy.  Waaaay back when I was in grade school we learned that in music class - complete with the boys singing "come, come, come...." while the girls sang the chorus.   

Hi everyone.  No rain today and in the lower 80s by this afternoon.  I didn't get up early this morning as we don't have to be at church until 11:15.  We have now finished breakfast and have the kitchen cleaned up.  After church we will go out to eat somewhere and then have a restful afternoon and evening.

Etta Sue, does Ivalou takes an antidepressant?  If so, it is probably masking her emotions and she would have a tough time crying.  I remember the one time I took one for about 3 months when my dad was in the hospital losing his leg and mother was in the nursing home and I had suffered a second heart attack.  I couldn't shed a tear as my emotions were just flat.  Fortunately I seldom experience depression so haven't needed that type of medication again.  I watched the video and it is very touching as expressed a lot of love for his cousin and his family.

Marilyn, good to have drills so people know what to do in the event of a Tsunami or other natural or man made  disaster.  Living in a small town has many advantages. 

Janet, glad you found a good excuse to not have to clean your garage.    I hope you don't forget to take time to do things for yourself, including doing nothing but resting.  Even though we are probably safe from Tsunami's where we live there are plenty of other disasters that can strike.  I remember years ago when we had 10 inches of rain in about 24 hours from a hurricane hitting the east coast.

Al, I never heard of being able to get a permanent absentee ballot.  We did use those the last election and expect to do so for the general election. 

Ruth, what you say about being our own worst enemy rings true.  When our committee of me, myself and I have a meeting in our heads it is usually bad news. 

Ruth Ann, what an interesting, if a bit annoying day you had dealing with the screenings.  Sometimes those mixed up days with unexpected events turn out to be the best kind.  It just shows we don't have to plan every minute of our lives for good things to happen. 

Jeanne, a wonderful devotional for this week.  Thanks for preparing it for us.  We need to be reminded of the source of our blessings on a daily basis.

Judy, that is a song from my childhood as well and have always loved it.  It has been a long time since I have heard it.

What a beautiful day we have Full of Sun and a gentle breeze.

Judy:  The Church in the Wildwood one of my favorites.
Larry:  It is wonderful that you acknowledge all of us that enter for a visit.
Janet: Say hello to Beth for me.
Marilyn:  It is good to have the drill in the event of a Tsunami but from my perspective I would not like        living in fear.

Mel has gone to the Bass Pro Store looking for a portable gas can for the boat, our son has the boat with him for a week and he sent his Dad a message saying that a previous seal had broke, Mel is of the thought that a new tank should be the way to go.  Doug (our son) just might have a suprise visit from us this afternoon. It takes 2 hrs at the most to get to where he is staying.

I also am glad I don't need to take anti-depressants.  They give them to Beth, and she always says, "I'm NOT depressed!!"  And she really isn't, but still they insist on giving them to her.  My eldest sister says, "How could she not be depressed?"  I don't know, just know her attitude is a source of amazement to me.

I got a surprise a while ago.  A fellow from the Rotary Club called and asked me to speak at their Tueday meeting.  He said he'd read the articles I did for the paper on May being Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month and thought this would be a good time to have me speak.  They will also allow me to sell books, so it's a blessing!  Praise the Lord!

Larry, we did go back and work on the garage more after the movie.  I think one more "hitch" at it and it will be done.  We moved everything, swept and mopped the floor.  But the floor needs at least one more mopping.  We painted the floor before the reunion we had a few years ago so we can make it look clean, and the dust isn't so bad when we sweep.  On Wed. we will go to Garden to pick up food items for the gathering, taking Abby along, as she loves family reunion and has been such a big help with the planning.  She wants to go, and I am glad, as she hasn't wanted to do much with me for the past three years.  I am so glad she is coming back into a closer relationship with me.  I have much for which to praise God.

I believe I will take a short nap!   

Larry - yes, I am very glsd I can get the vote-by-mail arrangement.  I think that if you go to your county registrar of voters you should be able to get it where you are as well (permasnent that is).

Here in Oregon it is all done by mail.

Janet she may not be depressed, however, the antidepressants will help her muscles relax. 

Well, this has truly been a Sabbath for me.

How wonderful to come hear of your lives and how you're doing.

Y'all have a great rest of the day.

Love,
Ruth Ann

Hi everyone.   The housekeepers were here this morning and the lawn people will be here later in the day.  I am just back from coffee and a quick trip to the barbershop.   I have my usual men's luncheon at 1 pm and meeting this evening to attend so it will be a busy day.  I have just about finished up my work for the Golden Games for this year.  I think while everything is fresh in mind I will go ahead and set up the files for next year so they will be ready when needed.

Ruth, did you make your surprise visit to your son?  It sounds like it would make a nice outing.

Janet, I think that anti-depressants may be a common medication for people living in a care home whether they need them or not.  Good news on the Rotary Club front.  Have you thought about contacting some national TV shows or perhaps the 700 Club to see if they would be interested in interviewing you?  You have a powerful story to tell and share with the world.  I am sure that as Abby grows older she will return to strong relationship with you.  I so loved my grandmother and still miss her.

Al and Marilyn, voting my absentee certainly takes a lot less energy.  We were voting in a primary election and didn't want to vote too soon as some of the candidates were withdrawing before the date of the election.  In the general election that will not be a problem.

Ruth Ann, lad you had a restful day yesterday.

Question.  Who puts in the Text Enhance inserts?  I notice mainly on Larry's post there are blue words and when you hover over them it says, 'Text Enhanced'.  And today, every time I change pages, a 'Compare Photographers' ad pops in from the side.  Very annoying!  Is it me or is everyone seeing this??

Ivalou, Marge, Evelyn and I went to King Chef after church yesterday.  Then I went to Lapel to the bank, to get a cappuccino and to get some pretzels.

Once I was home I changed my bed linens and started some laundry.  I made Cinnamon and Sugar Pretzels with Splenda for a snack when Kitty came since she is diabetic.  Kitty came and we both pulled weeds in my rock landscaping.  She also brought me an old umbrella for my bisto table.  My umbrella snapped the cord and won't raise now.  Going with the trash Tuesday.  Pretzels and iced tea was great sitting under the umbrella at the bistro table!

Then she left and I fixed a bite to eat for supper and watched TV.  I was sure wanting Clay Aiken to win Celebrity Apprentice!

Today I went for my blood draw.  It was a twice stick draw.  They couldn't get it in my arm so they finally succeeded in the back of my hand...the same hand that got 3 IV's in the past 2 weeks!! 

Then to Bob Evans for breakfast.

Then to Walmart.  10-10:30am is the time to go to Walmart.  Several empty spots in the parking lot!  I like that.  I had some high priced items to purchase but was still shocked at how much my bill was!!  I wish my paycheck would raise like that!! 

Now I am drinking coffee and plan to read and take a nap this afternoon! 

That's my two days in a nut shell!

Etta Sue, strange things are happening to you!  I don't see any blue words in Larry's post and I've never seen anything that says "text enhanced".  And I don't get "Compare photographers" when I change pages!  I wonder what's going on with your computer.   

I( don't seen them either but there was a time when I did.

Love the song - an auntie and uncle drove to Iowa and were married at the little brown church.  He is now gone and she is in a home for dementia.  But - it was fun to see the song because I know my family played the music & we knew the words way back -- long ago. 

I don't see those messages, either, Etta Sue. Would another call to your internet provider be in order?

Right now I have a different computer problem. I get some sort of message when I first boot up about missing the MOM.Implementation file. All I know is that in order to print anything from the internet, I must "take a screen shot" of it, paste into Word or PowerPoint and then print out.

Now, it's time to rest - today's outing was taking the elderly lady to the Diagnostic Pavilion for some gastric tests involving barium swallow. So, we were gone from 11:00 until past 3:30, and also included driving abou 15 miles to pick up her new prescriptions, too.

Y'all have a wonderful rest of the day with our Lord and Saviour.

Love to everyone who posts/and or reads in this forum.

Ruth Ann

Am I first this morning?  I'm surprised.

Yesterday, Darrel and I finished cleaning the garage floor.  That's a lot of floor to sweep and then mop two or three times.  Had to get fresh water with soap every little bit.  But it's going to look nice!  It's clean!!  Now all we have left to do is arranging the furniture (we have two couches, three recliners, a swing seat, and numerous chairs--most will be finding new homes after the reunion!) and set up the tables for eating.  Then I will get the glass cleaner and do a lot of glass cleaning, make sure the kitchen out there is good and clean, etc.  Tomorrow we are going to Garden to pick up groceries (they have a Sam's Club!).  And Abby wants to go with us!  Yes, Larry, after all this time and many prayers, she is returning to a closer relationship with me, and I am SO happy about that!  She has loved family reunions since she was tiny, and has been a big help this year with the plans.

I haven't had those problems either, Etta Sue.  Thank goodness, as I am not good with computer problems!

Larry, thank you for the suggestions.  I am always looking for new opportunities to tell our story. I will look into ways to contact some people on TV.  I called one of our local stations, missed the gal, and she hasn't called back.  Guess I will have to call again.  All in God's time, I do expect the book to sell many, many more copies.  Not because of me or Beth, but because this has been God's project from its inception.

I need to make an outline for my talk at Rotary.  I will let you know how it goes.  My prayer is that the words I speak will be a blessing to those listening, and God will be glorified in whatever I say and do.

I use Firefox for my browser and I think it is Firefox that is making words 'text enhanced' and the fly-in ad from the right when I change pages...but it is only on here.  Not Seniors and Friends.  Even Janet's post 'garage floor' is underlined and when I hover over it, the Text Enhance box pops up and says 'Garage Floor  Find it Now!'  Below that is Garage Floor Near Locate.com.  In fact, in her post 'computer problems' and 'thank you' is underlined!  It doesn't bother me if I don't hover over those words with the mouse.  But the fly-in ad?  You have to close it out to read what is on the page!!


Been to the pool.  Got my shower.  Next is going to Claude and Annie's, a restaurant with the SAMS group.  Then this evening is a fundraiser for Jacob at Texas Roadhouse.  Hope to get there, too! 

So it's a busy day!!

Etta Sue, it has to be something other than Firefox causing all of that.  I'm using Firefox and don't see any of it. 

Janet, I would love to be a member of your family so I could attend the reunion!  What a lot of work you put into it. 

I use FireFox and I don't see those things. i think I said that yesterday so I am repeating myself.  I used to see that when i used Google Chrome.

Etta Sue, did you find Garage Floor?  and was it clean? 

Jeanne, You are welcome to come, we usually have several people who just like being with our family who attend our reunions!  You'd surely be welcome!

Time to go speak at Rotary---you are praying, aren't you?

HI everyone.  It has been a very busy morning including a trip to Aldi's for some groceries, getting the car filled with gas and doing a couple of other things. We did have a bit of a storm here last night and this morning we had no internet.  I also heard that an apartment house a couple of miles away had suffered a lightning strike during the storm.  There is the chance for more of the same later this afternoon.  It is very nice here right now with mild temperature and low humidity.  As far as I know I am home for the rest of the day and as soon as I finish my lunch I will be resting for a couple of hours. 

Etta Sue, are you referring to my regular postings or when I share something from someone else.  I am not aware of any unusual setting for my normal posting and they don't appear any different on my screen.  When I went to Aldi's this morning I bought some canned green beans.  Just a couple of years ago they cost $0.33 a can and this morning they were $0.55 cents a can. Have you turned on the popup blocker in Firefox and also check the setting as there may be a setting to enhance the text to help accessibility for folks having trouble seeing.

Rather than write more personal responses to all the fine posting I have read I am opting for an afternoon nap. 

I'm heading back out to work shortly, but wanted to take the time to wish Pat and Paul a very happy anniversary.   




Bonnie

Ahh, Bonnie, thanks for reminding me!

First, an anniversary prayer for Pat and Paul, that their lives together will be enhanced by the love of the Father, and then their love for each other and those in the extended family. We love y'all.

Then, Bonnie, good luck with working, and thanks for participating with us on some of the word games.

Well, there were some heartbreaks expressed at our Tuesday worship service downstairs. Two ladies dealing with cancer, various other problems, and also our speaker is dealing with a family crisis and couldn't come to be with us.

I had been asked to play piano and sing, and for several days, the song He Lifted Me Out had been impressed on my mind. Last night, I asked for Guidance to have a scripture to reference, and Psalm 30 came to mind. So, I simply sang the song, then read Psalm 30 and we each made comments. What a time of blessing for all. God often takes our lemons and makes lemonade, doesn't He.

Now, it's time to rest a bit, and then maybe go downstairs to help a severely disabled lady get hooked up to the internet with her new computer. If not tonight, then for sure tomorrow!

Y'all have a great evening with our Lord.

Etta Sue, do you have any extra toolbars added to the top of your screen? Sometimes websites add them, and we don't realize.

We had a quiet weekend, which  was nice. We were able to go out on the lake for a boat ride. We get some nice sunsets on our lake, so try to have our boat ride around that time at night. It's also a good time to see some of the animals and birds out there.

We were able to go to a concert on Sunday night in Huntsville (Ontario) to hear a male quartet. It's encouraging hearing their music and witness for the Lord. My Dad was able to come down and join us.

Our sister-in-law is still not doing very well. They have not been able to bring her out of her "deep sleep" since her lung biopsy last Friday. When they do, and they remove the breathing tube, she is in a lot of distress.

My brother-in-law had eye surgery again. The Dr. stitched up the opening in his eye, and they hope the pressure will come up in it.

You might have said how big your garage is already, Janet - but it sounds like it's as big as my house:) Enjoy your reunion! And yes, I've been praying!

Ruth Ann, I don't know the song, He Lifted Me Out. How does it go?

Have a great week, everyone. It's looking like a busy one for me.

Betty, the garage is 25 feet wide and 100 feet long.  We have overhead doors in each end, so by leaving one open and one closed, partly open or fully open, we can regulate the temperature pretty well.  It gives us lots of room to visit, eat, do crafty stuff, etc., and makes a really good place for the reunion.  We hosted one about three years ago and it worked well.  We also have a small kitchen in the end of it, just beyond my studio.  That way it keeps most of the traffic out of the house, and people mingle better.

If you would like to see photos of today's Rotary meeting where I spoke, you can go to Facebook and look for Ulysses Rotary.  There are 8 or 9 photos there and some nice comments.  Thanks.

Thanks, Betty, for the prayers!  I knew I had prayer support, because I could feel it!  They said I could talk for 20 minutes, and later, when I asked how long I talked, he told me "20 minutes exactly!"  And that included some time for their questions.  It was a really good experience, and I sold a good number of books!  Thank you, Lord!

Janet - Wow, it is bigger than my house:) I'm glad things went well for your talk.