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Morning Devotional...





I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. Psalm 119:10


On Being Seekers and Servers of God

Sins of great magnitude may indicate an energy of soul which if turned in a right direction can lead far up the way toward spiritual perfection. Conversely, there is a meanness of soul that inhibits and restricts the scope and intensity of even the most common activities. When such a soul is converted, it may be only to mediocrity.

On his own testimony Paul before his conversion was a great sinner (1 Timothy 1:15). He persecuted Christians with great violence and wrought havoc with the followers of Christ. After his spectacular about-face he turned his magnificent equipment over to the Lord and the whole world knows the result. The same energy of soul that had made him a dangerous enemy of the Christian faith made him a powerful advocate of that faith once his eyes had been opened.

From this we may learn that feebleness and timidity are not to be confused with righteousness. To sin but weakly is not the same as to do good. Lack of moral energy may prevent a man from enjoying himself in sin, but he is in sin nevertheless. His weak effort at neutrality does not deceive God who knows the secrets of every man's heart.

It takes years for some of us to discover that we can't seek God as a sometime recreation or low-priority value in life. Seeking Him in order to love and serve Him is the major purpose of life


O Lord, show me all that is involved in seeking You with all of my heart. I want to know You and serve You.

From Devotions By Dr. Tozer

Wonderful devotion, Don.  Thanks!   

Don:  Thank you for today's devotion.  It must have been a miracle to have seen Paul turn from a great sinner to the best of the best Christian.  So inspirational to everyone.

The sun is out this morning and most of the snow is gone.  More snow/rain is expected the next two days.  Neighbors have invited us and one other couple to watch a movie at their house and eat pizza.  What a dilemma for me as I can't eat dairy anymore. 

Those springtime colds are not fun at all.  Drink lots of tea or water. 

Larry:  Don was able to lower the lift pallet on which the machine sits about 1/8th of an inch.  It took some time with numerous lifting of the machine and all - this will help in the meantime.  I'll keep looking for a better acrylic insert - can't give up.  We were just exhausted from all the furniture moving of that machine and a few other things yesterday - complain complain. 

We are home from the church activities, and praising God for a beautiful day!  Just a tad chilly if in the shade, but gorgeous!  There were 12 or 15 people baptized (I lost count), but it's nice to see the church continuing to grow.  Beth enjoyed being outdoors, and there was NO WIND!!  YES!! 

I am trying to reserve a room in Oklahoma City for the night before we leave on our trip and the night we get back there.  Cannot remember my password for that site--so frustrating!  Passwords are such a nuisance!  I do have a little book I write them in, but don't have that one down.

I need to gather up a kit of oil painting materials for granddaughter Abby.  She says she wants to start painting with oils again.  I'm just glad she wants to paint!    I am going to their town tonight for church because they have a guest speaker I really like, so I can take those to her then.

Jane, so good to have you posting again!  How ya been? 

Stuff to do!!  See you later!!

Hi everyone on a bright, sunny and bit windy day here in Georgia.  I stayed at coffee a little longer today as the housekeepers are here and I have nothing pressing to accomplish today.  I will go to my Monday men's luncheon and a meeting today and that will be it.  We had a very nice day yesterday as Pat did go to church and we went out to eat with the group afterwards.  Pat said that she sat through the church service without pain in her hip or knee and it has been a very long time since that happened.  She even went outside yesterday afternoon for a brief walk.  So the weekend was more encouraging than some have been recently.

Judy, glad to read that the flooding will not endanger your home.  The flooding situation sounds pretty severe this year.

Janet, hope your outdoor service and picnic went very well yesterday.  Stacey's other foot has a break in two places in one of the bones and the many of the other breaks (there were 17 before this last break) have not healed back properly.  It looks like your church is really growing. 

Jane, nice that your granddaughter has moved close enough for you to visit with her and to see your great grandson.  It sounds like she has decided to start a new life in a new location.

Don, thanks for the devotional thoughts for this week.

Carol, you all sure are having a lot of spring snows.  Hope you all are able to get the acrylic insert soon.  When Pat got the last Bernina it didn't fit properly into the sewing cabinet but now it is level with the table and the acrylic insert fits around the machine very well.   

Larry, what good news that Pat's hip and knee pains seem to be so much less. 

The signs of spring are finally starting to show.  Grass in some areas is green, buds are starting to swell on the trees and the robins are here.  It's still going below freezing some nights, but daytime temps are mostly in the 50's.   

Good devotional Don.

We have the sun shining today, this will allow for more drying of the land', the temperature is still low which gives time to firm up the ground.

Have a great day everyone...

Good Morning everyone, I feel so much better today after loading up on Vitamin C and Zinc yesterday. I am still taking the larger amount but I do feel good today. good enough to go to the gym and to work.

UPS truck just came to my house and delivered the little part from Sears.  I have called Tony but had to leave a voice mail...he's on his lunch break so eating is more important than Mom maybe. 

Nothing planned for today but the rest of the week is busy! 

It is bright and sunny out today with a slight breeze.  It's 57° and rising!

Hi, friends,

It's good to hear the cheery posts tonight. And, "The Lighthouse" is a good song to hear. Thank you, Judy, for the songs.

Don, I too enjoyed the devotion today.

Tomorrow portends to be a good day. I get to have breakfast with my trucker son who is coming through here. Then, will attend the devotionals downstairs and play piano. Then, who knows, maybe I'll get to visit son #1.

Y'all have a great rest tonight.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

I was up to RuthV's tonight.  I didn't take my camera, figured a 15 minute drive would be uneventful.  I should have learned my lesson by now.  I saw a minimum of 15 deer, on the road, just standing there looking at me!!! My leg is sore from kicking backwards!  At Ruth's she has GREEN GRASS!!!!.  Mine will come just very slow.
She is working on our income tax and I missed one receipt.  Ruth called me and suggested I check my bank records.....I found the record and all is together!  Now to wait for damages!  Thank you Ruth!!!

We are still under a flood watch, there were detours for John an his way south. So this is going to take some time to recede. 

Have a good night everyone.

Hi everyone on a bright, sunny and cool morning.  The main activity for today is to go back to Atlanta as Pat has another appointment with the surgeon (hopefully will be released today).  Then we plan on meeting Stacey for lunch.  Yesterday Stacey got some not so good news when the doctor saw her.  He told her the staples and stitches in her leg have become infected.  Hopefully an antibiotic will kill the infection and this won't be like her toes and foot were but we won't visit that thought very long today. We did have our air conditioner checked out yesterday.  It is going on 17 years old but passed the inspection fine.  We have never had to put in more Freon.

Jeanne, nice to read that Spring is reaching your area of the mountains.  I am sure you must have some beautiful scenery as things come to life.  We have lots of trees here in Georgia and in our neighborhoods and I really enjoy seeing them blossom and then leaf out or just leaf out.

Judy, also sounds like spring is headed your way as it is with Jeanne.  When is the filing date for your income taxes.  I didn't understand your comment about kicking backwards? 

Marilyn, glad you are feeling better and hope today it is better still.

Etta Sue, perhaps Tony had left his phone somewhere else.  Glad you got the part for your lawnmower.

Ruth Ann, sure glad you are getting to spend time with your sons and know that delights you.  Hope you rested well last night.

HAHA! Larry, Judy meant she was (figuratively) kicking herself in the "back" for not having her camera!    

Sorry to hear the not-so-good news from Stacey, but we'll pray it's only a minor setback. 

You  got that right Jeanne!

It is a beautiful sunny day, I hope the problem I am having with a program is resolved early enough so that I can get outside, this time with my camera.

Have a great day everyone.

A lot accomplished here yesterday.  Jeremiah called and said he was coming to do my yard work.  So my butterfly bushes, hibiscus is trimmed and the leaves are blown out of my rocks and the bigger twigs and limbs picked up. 

Tony called back and said if Charlene didn't have anything to do last evening he would come up.  He did and got the mower put back together and Slime in the big tire.  I started mowing to make sure every thing was working right.  Tony left and I mowed the rest of the yard!  Looks so much better today! 

Then I needed a shower at 8:30pm!  But my hair was dry when I went to bed at 10:30pm. 

Up this morning at 8am and after breakfast and devotions, I went to the pool.  I am home now and waiting until 11:30 to get Ivalou and Betty and head to Perkins at Noblesville to have lunch with the rest of the SAMS group. 

That's it!

My goodness, what a difference a day makes!  After the gorgeous day we had Sunday, yesterday afternoon high winds hit, and brought along some snow!  Really cold, hard freeze, etc!  No fruit in our area this year--again.    It's still quite cold out today, of course.

Judy, I didn't understand the "kicking backward" comment, either!    We have quite a few deer here in  our area in these past few years, too.

Larry, sorry to hear of Stacey's newest problem and hope it will be resolved quickly.  Good to hear how well Pat is doing, hope she continues to improve as well.

We are trying to get in shape for our upcoming trip to Turkey.  They warned us it is quite physical; walking for as long as three hours at a time, two to three miles per day over all kinds of terrain; lots of stairs, lot of them without a handrail, some "squat type" toilets, etc.  So Kristi is working with us to improve stamina, mobility, balance and strength.  We will be glad of that, I am sure!  Today I did two miles on the treadmill, then 45 minutes working with weights.  Phew!

I need to go shower and change out of my gym clothes, be back later!

I woke up to the township repairing the road just past our driveway, part we don't use.  It seems they are going down and replacing and repairing the cause of the weakness in that part of the road.  This is taking forever!

The day is overcast and drizzly rain.  Quite warm as well, at least warm compared to what we have been having!!

Have a great day and God bless.

JudyB ~ When I click on your name and find the location map, are you really that far from the road or are you at the building close to the road in the clearing?  If you are off the road, it's a wonder you get out all winter!! 

Well, I was reading my devotions this morning and it was raining big drops.  I looked up again and it was slushy snow!!  April 24th!!  No!!!  It is only 39° right now!!  Now wonder the house felt cooler this morning.

Ivalou decided she could drive herself to her massage today and then get a pedicure in the same strip mall.  So I don't have anything until Wednesday Night Live at 7pm. 

Janet ~ I didn't realize you were going to Turkey.  Your exercise wears me out just reading what you do!  I have a terrible time with endurance and end up huffing and puffing.  And I have found out that when my back starts hurting, I get hot and sweaty.  But I can sit down and the pain goes away and I cool down.  My friend Jerry...his daughter-in-law and grandson lives in Turkey while his son is in the Army in Korea.


v

Etta Sue there is a house on the corner and we are up the road.  House and a barn and a small building to the east.  Our road is better looked after than the highway quite frankly.  they are out plowing about 5 in the morning 6 at the latest.  They are working on a couple of soft spots right now, they seem to have finished the repair. 

Would you believe it we have SNOW right now and Sunday's temperature is to be 60 beautiful degrees!!!

Just going to say hi this afternoon. I had written a longer message on my iPad but going back and forth between reading and writing I lost the message. some myself just be brief had a busy morning and I'll go into details as nothing significicant.  I just had a call from the rehab place where Stacey is and she fell this morning trying to get into the bathroom but the nurse said she did not injure herself so I don't think there was any damage done. This is one more episode in a long story. 

Janet, your trip to Turkey sounds exhausting.  Good thin you will be in good shape for the trip.  Pat's sister was commenting last evening on how cold it was in the Kansas City area.  Please don't be sending it down our way.

Jeanne and Judy, I had missed the nuance of the kicking comment.  I have read all the other messag but will sign off for today and close my eyes for awhile.

I didn't make it back yesterday, busy all day.  We went to Garden to get a new carry-on bag for Darrel and some shoes for me; then met the group from here at Golden Corral for supper.  I went to the jazz concert with them, then was going to ride home on the bus (Darrel left after eating) but my sister asked me to drive her home.  She is still wearing the boot for her broken ankle and it is difficult for her to drive.  She had a Dr. app't. there, so also stayed for the concert.

Kristi wanted me to walk two miles in 20 minutes this morning!  I told her I didn't think I could...and I couldn't.  I did it in 32 minutes, though.  Wore me out, too!  I told her they will not be pushing us for speed on the trip, we just need to be able to do it.  They have mostly older travelers, so they pace things accordingly.

I am packing things as I think of them, trying not to forget anything essential!

Sorry to hear about Stacey's fall but glad she wasn't injured.  Larry, I sure can't send any cold from the Kansas City area, as that is 400 miles from us!  We are finally warming back up today.

Etta Sue, you do a lot, so you must be in pretty good shape!   Glad Ivalou is getting back more of her independent spirit!

Darrel made a big pot of stew and it smells so good I think I will go have a bowl of it!

Today feels like spring.  My outside thermometer is registering 70!!!  Of course, tomorrow it will be back down into the mid 50's but I'll try not to think about that for today.   

Larry, I'm sorry to hear that Stacey fell, but at least it sounds as though she's OK.  Any more word about the infection?

Janet, just reading about your preparations for your trip wears me out!

I've just enjoyed long a phone call (an hour and a half!) with my daughter for her birthday.  She's my baby and is now 52!!! 

Now I need to head out to find where I can get the best deal for hearing aid batteries.

Quote from: Jeanne Lee on April 24, 2013, 02:11:21 PM

I've just enjoyed long a phone call (an hour and a half!) with my daughter for her birthday.  She's my baby and is now 52!!! 

Interesting, Jeanne .... my "baby" daughter is also 52 this month (the 11th).

I made the trip to Springfield on Monday to deliver a TV, DVD player, a boombox, and a couple movies and a few other things for my granddaughter and her boyfriend... and of course for their son's first birthday!  I got this little blue chair at WalMart for Carter, too, and he's the only one with furniture in their little apartment!   Oh, they do have a bed in the bedroom, but otherwise their apartment is completely sans furniture.   

Hello everyone. I do feel so much better as each day passes. Today is beautiful here I took each dog for a short walk wearing a tank top it is 73°, I want to take advantage of the nice weather while I can. it is subject to change at any given moment here in Oregon. I also dug up the planter in front of the big bay window, watered it real good dug some more watered again then planted my 3 little tomato plants that I started in the house. They are heirloom Brandywine tomatoes that i saved the seeds from the ones I bought last year at the farmers market. In June I am hoping to get the neighbor to water them while we go on vacation.

Forest is graduating from the 8th grade on June 12th, Keith's oldest son Craig is graduating from his residency at Providence hospital on June 15th and we are to check in at our timeshare also on the 15th. That is going to be one busy week. The dogs are going to a new boarding place, they will be boarded kin someone's home instead of the stable. They are getting to old to be left  in  a horse stall.

Hi, friends,

I truly did enjoy time with my trucker son. Looks like right now the loads are taking him through Nashville often. That's so great. I agree, Larry, being with my children highlights my life now.

Even here in Nashville, they have a frost warning for tonight. So, I'm thankful to be living almost at the top of this 14 story building - heat travels upwards, so I'll be very comfy without turning up the thermostat.

May our Lord bless each person who comes here today.

Ruth Ann

I have a good start on my Thursday!  I have cleaned the kitchen, sorted and trashed junk mail accumulation, read several chapters in the Bible,prayed, and done other household stuff.  I don't want to leave the house messy when we leave.

Now I am just waiting for Darrel to decide it's time to go to the gym.  I have a chiropractor appointment at 10:30.

I will come back later to see how all of you are doing!

Hi everyone on a beautiful but bit chilly day here in Georgia.  We are suppose to eventually get up to 70 degrees but was in the 40's a bit earlier this morning.  Since I don't have anywhere or anything I have scheduled to do today I plan on taking it easy.  Pat plans to go out to lunch with a good friend.  Stacey called yesterday saying they plan to dismiss her from the rehab center on Friday.  This is rather frightening as really wonder how she is going to get along by herself.  I am sure she will get some home health assistance.  They told her she really needs to get a hospital bed as her fairly new bed it too high for her to easily get in and out.  I am sure things will work out and am really glad she has the alert system to signal for help if she needs it.

Janet, you certainly had a full day in Garden City.  When do you leave on your trip?  In my mind I picture Kansas as being so close to Missouri, where I grew up, that I lose track of how large it actually is. 

Jeanne, we haven't heard anything else on the infection.  I guess that isn't a problem the rehab center worries about too much since a doctor has seen her and prescribed the antibiotic.  I don't even know whether they have started giving it to her or not and now going back to her home will probably mess up some of the medicines although she has a three month supply of most of her medicines that had arrived right before she went into the hospital. 

Jane, years ago we made a job transfer to Anchorage, Alaska from Oklahoma City and it took 6-8 weeks before our furniture and belongings arrived on the ship.  Due to prices up there and the fact there was no moving allowance at that time and assistance ended at the end of a quarter day when you arrived at your new destination we had to immediately find a place to live.  We found a condo and moved in immediately.  We had a mattress on the floor that the landlords had left there and Pat bought a few kitchen items so she could cook and we really had a great time making do. 

Marilyn, glad you are feeling better and enjoying nice weather in Oregon.  Hope your tomatoes flourish.  It sounds like you will have a very busy June.

Ruth Ann, glad you had good time with your trucker son.  Do you get tired of waiting for the elevator to get to your floor?