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Morning Devotional...

The sea was no more. 
Alistair Begg




The sea was no more.  Revelation 21:1

We could scarcely rejoice at the thought of losing the glorious old ocean: The new heavens and the new earth are not attractive to our imagination if in fact there is literally going to be no great and wide sea with its gleaming waves and sandy shores. Should the text not be read as a metaphor tinged with the prejudice with which the oriental mind universally regarded the sea in the olden times?

A real physical world without a sea is a sad idea; it would be an iron ring without the sapphire that made it precious. There must be a spiritual meaning here. In the new dispensation there will be no division—the sea separates nations and divides peoples from each other. To John in Patmos the deep waters were like prison walls, shutting him out from his brethren and his work: There will be no such barriers in the world to come. Leagues of rolling billows lie between us and family members whom tonight we prayerfully remember, but in the bright world to which we go there will be unbroken fellowship for all the redeemed family. In this sense there shall be no more sea.

The sea is the emblem of change; with its ebbs and flows, its glassy smoothness and its mountainous billows, its gentle murmurs and its tumultuous roarings, it is never the same for very long. It is a slave of the fickle winds and the changing moon, and its instability is proverbial. In this earthly journey we have too much of this; earth is constant only in her inconstancy. But in our heavenly state all mournful change will be unknown, and with it every fear of storms that would wreck our hopes and drown our joys. The sea of glass glows with splendor unbroken by a wave. No tempest howls along the peaceful shores of paradise.

Soon we will reach that happy land where partings and changes and storms shall be ended! Jesus will guide us there. Are we in Him or not? This is the grand question.

Hi everyone.  It is still dark outside and in a few minutes I will leave for coffee with the guys at McDonald's. It is 52 here this morning and a couple of periods of rain are forecast with the rest of the day cloudy.   I plan on taking things easy today so I won't be too tired to attend my meeting tonight. 

There was a relatively small group at church yesterday but another good sermon.  After church we went with three others to Appleby's for lunch.  They were extremely slow and it was after 2 pm before we got home.  While I lunch I took a call from who I thought was Pat's brother.  However, it was his son telling us that Pat's 84 year old brother had suffered a stroke and and died on Saturday.  Pat was not close with her brother and had only seen him twice over all these years. 

Janet,  since you probably don't have too many passwords for the different computer programs and for your router, I seriously suggest you get a small notebook and write down the information regarding your password and your username on each site.  Over the years I have found that invaluable as have registered on many websites.  If you have several website then I suggest using the LastPass program where you need remember only one master password (which you must certainly document somewhere on paper) and then use the site to record all of your passwords and other pertinent information.  Glad you figured out the problem with your Kindle Fire. 

Pat, thanks for the devotional for this week. 

Pat, I am uncertain of whether the author of today's Thoughts has it right, but I do hope so!  I was dismayed to think that "the seas were no more" as I love the water and love scuba diving so much.  There are millions of beautiful and fascinating creatures who live in the water--plants, too--and I wouldn't want to think of them all being destroyed!  Besides, I harbor a hope that in heaven I can scuba dive without the heavy equipment I need here on earth!    So thanks for the Thoughts.  You didn't give the author, so I wonder who he/she is.

Thanks, Larry.  I have a notebook in which I do record all those pesky user names and passwords.  And I have the one I was told (or how I understood it, anyway!) for the wifi, but no way will it work.  So I will call and ask Curtis when he will be here again, and he can put in yet another new one and make sure I get it down RIGHT.  Thesite you mentioned is what I need, I guess.  Our two-year-old g-g-daughter received an iPad for Christmas and she already knows more about using it than I would.    This problem I have with techy stuff is the only time in my life I have felt really incompetent.  And I don't like it one bit! 

I called and asked to talk to my doctor and was told he is out until Wednesday.  Phooey.  When there is something wrong, I want to know what, and what will or can they do about it!

I have been watching some videos on the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands, and am getting excited about our upcoming trip.  Can't wait to see those Blue-footed Booby Birds!  And the giant tortoises!   

I had an almost sleepless night, so am not operating at full capacity today.  I read online that disturbances in sleep patterns are common symptoms of mitral valve prolapse.  Sigh.........

But---God's in His heaven; all's right with the world--and with Janet! 

Hi everyone.  It is a cloudy morning but suppose to be sunny this afternoon with a high in the 50s.  I plan on attending a meeting this morning, going to the post office to mail back something to China (didn't notice that was where it was coming from or wouldn't have ordered the item), and stop at a U-Haul store to get some dish packs and bubble wrap for the dishes.  We have decided to pack these ourselves as it is very pricey to have the moving company send people here to do it when we are doing the rest of the packing.  I do intend to watch the Georgia bowl game this evening.

Janet, sorry to hear of the cold that Beth has and hope it won't linger.  I am curious as to why your church didn't have services?  Glad to read you are using a password and username book.  Passwords can be complicated with capital letters and small letters and number or other characters and they have to be typed exactly as they were established.  I have no doubt it you put the time into the iPad you would soon master it.  I hope this was a child's tablet and not a real iPad that the two-year old received as the real thing is very expensive and won't stand up to being dropped a lot, which is normal for a two year old.  That sounds like some trip you have planned.  Are you taking the boat trip up the Amazon?  A friend at church did that last year but his wife elected to stay home.  He said it was quite an adventure. 

Ruth Ann, the cold rainy days are good ones to stay inside where it is warm. 

It is VERY cold here today--4*  and snowing!  We have about 2" of white fluff on the ground and it is still falling, and we have "wind chill advisories!"    Ya think? 

Larry, if you have mentioned your target date for the move, I missed it.  When do you plan to move?  I think that's wise to pack the dishes and other fragile things yourselves, as you will have it done as you like, plus the money you save.  You can work on it a bit at a time and not wear yourselves out.

Yes, I assume the iPad is a child's type.  The other two have had theirs since they were two and four, they have been dropped a lot and at least one is cracked, but still working.  We rarely see the girls without those in their hands.  They have really gotten a lot of entertainment out of them, but I'm still not sure it's a good thing to get addicted to technology at such a very young age. 

Yes, we are going to be cruising down the Amazon, through the rain forest.  I'm excited about this trip (always am!) and think we will have some totally new adventures.  We have a list of the people going, and there are only about 15, which is a nice size group.

Curtis said he will be here on Monday and will help me get the Wifi password changed.  He can likely look up what Pioneer put in when they changed the box on our TV a while back.  Then I hope all the books I have ordered will show up on my Kindle, as I don't want to carry extra books on the trip.

I have an appointment tomorrow at the doctor's and hope they will have some information re my heart.  It would be nice to know before we leave the country again!

We are going to eat at the Senior Center today as they have oven fried chicken on the menu.  We haven't been there for a while.

The reason services were canceled at our church last Sunday was "so you can all spend time with your families."

Hi, friends,

Janet, I believe the devotional was referenced as being from Alistair Begg. Pat, please correct me if I'm wrong. I enjoyed his in-depth analysis of this bit of scripture. Many years of my children's lives, I've had one or more of them out of the country overseas. No time and space barriers will be great in Heaven, but I do understand Janet's love for the sea. The sound of the waves coming in to shore is something I love to hear, and would like to hear again.

Larry, it seems here in the South that we have fluctuating temps, thus making it more difficult for us to adapt to cold weather. Today, however, though the high was to be in the low 40s, the wind chill made it seem much colder. I really hope y'all can pace yourselves so as to not get exhausted.

Jane, Marilyn, Carole, Pat, Judy, Don, Buddy, John and all others I've forgotten to name, may our Lord grant you a good rest of the day.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

I am still fighting to get over this two week old cold.  It just doesn't want to leave no matter how much I rebuke it---It is not mine.

I have a wonderful smelling Bobs Red Mill bean soup in the crock pot the only thing I didn't add according to the recipe is the butternut squash. There are black beans, black eyed peas, navy bean etc ,onions , celery, tomatoes, spices mmmm it is going to taste good on such a cold day.

Glad to see the update on Joy from jane, Good news that she is improving by the day.

Hi everyone on a beautiful, but chiilly, New Year's Eve morning.  I went to coffee and then to Kroger's.  I am expecting a call from the Nigerian lad to come and help pack some more things today.  However, he was first going to see about getting his driver's permit.  If it gets too late we will postpone until Saturday.  I did enjoy watching the Georgia/Louisville bowl game last evening and it was a good win for Georgia.  Pat has left to pick up some papers at Kaiser near us and then will have to go to the main Kaiser facility to pick up a new prescription the doctor gave her this week.  Today is the last day we will be with Kaiser as tomorrow it will be Blue Cross and Blue Shield for our health insurance.

Janet, yesterday sounded like a very unpleasant day out your way.  We are planning on the movers being here on either the 19th or 20th of January and delivery at our new house the following day.  Your cruise down the Amazon sounds exciting and you should see a lot of interesting things.

Ruth Ann, we are having to pace ourselves whether we want to or not as our energy tank get too low.

Marilyn, sorry your cold is holding on so long.  Your bean soup sounds good.

Larry the bean soup turned out delicious. Oh nd our Ducks are [laying in the Rose Bowl against The Seminoles. Go Ducks

It is raining in Arizona and there will be snow on Mount Lemmon so it is predicted.  Don is working on the t.v. set and needs to take back a new part and buy the next one upscale.  Always busy.  I made a chicken soup yesterday and added a few spices and beans - really easy to make soup as I just taste it as it simmers along.  There is enough for two quarts to give away to friends who don't cook much anymore. 

JeanneLee:  Enjoy your Kindle Fire - that is a nice size as compared to the iPad but I won't give that up for anything - it was a gift from the family about two years ago.

Janet:  You and Beth had my immediate prayers when reading of her setback.  the Amazon - how thrilling.  We had missionary friends who went up the Oronoco river into Venezuela for many years and I would have loved to have visited.  No missionaries left in that country now - they were all told to leave. 

Larry:  Moving day is coming fast.  You have a ton of books on your Kindle.  I have the Kindle app on the iPad and it works really well. 

We had a very good drive on dry roads believe it or now.  It was minus 19 degrees F. last night at home - glad to be south.  Daughter has company for six days and she doesn't want to leave the house (the company I mean). 

Off to meet with our friend now and see how she is doing.  Happy new Year to everyone - and a healthy and comforting year of blessings for all.  Hi Ruth Ann!  Stay warm.

Hello everyone.... I just had to come in at least one more time this year!  I am still in Palo Alto, California at UC Stanford Medical Center with my daughter Joy.  I have posted an update in Prayer and Praise, for anyone following her journey. 

Today marks the 15th anniversary of my daughter Jean's passing ... We came near to repeating that with Joy ... but God is good, and she is a survivor.   

This is the end of the old year and looking forward to a much happier New Year ....

Happy New Year to all!

Hi everyone on the New Year's Morning.  It was a chilly, but sunny 30 degrees here this morning.  I went to McDonald's to get some breakfast for Pat and I as are kitchen is really unusable at the moment.  Yesterday she had Christian hand down all the dishes and things on the high cabinet shelves and is washing them all as some have been on the shelf for 18 plus years.  She will dispose of some of the dishes that we never use.  I slept late this morning as was pretty tired from the work we did yesterday.  Today will be a quiet day just enjoying the bowl games.

Carol, actually I only have the covers that appear on my Kindle app as the books are not stored on it but in the Amazon cloud account.  Glad you had a good drive to Tuscon and hope you have a most enjoyable winter in your home there. 

Jane, go glad that you haven't lost another daughter and that good medical care was available and the problem identified.  I think many of us look forward to the new year being happier that the old year. 

Pat, your graphic is very true.

Here is a poem by Colin....

A Blessed New Year

I am old said the year
Soon I will be gone
My days are all passed
So I cannot live on
I have brought you happiness
To others much sorrow
But at the closing of each evening
You looked for my morrow
Sunny days of laughter
Some days I give pain
But of all the days I granted
Did you live them in vain

I am new said the year
My life just begun
The moon has rode on my night
At my dawn a rising sun
You have welcomed me in
With hope and good cheer
Expecting my days to be better
Than the ones of the old year
But have you not learned
From all the years of yore
That things just go on
As they have all done before

Hear the words of the Lord
The maker of days
Take heed to His voice
Listen to all that He says
Tomorrow is not promised
All the time you have is now
The plans you have made
May not happen anyhow
Yes I am the year
So bright and so new
But all of my days
Are never promised to you

At my beginning if you have hope
Let it be in the Lord
Seek after happiness
Find riches in His word
The old year is dead
For me the bells did chime
Live all of my weeks
One day at a time
You may see my ending
When it draws near
But if you walk with God
You will have a blessed New Year

Colin Moffett

Happy New Year everyone.

We awoke to snow on the ground in Tucson.  It isn't entirely rare - beautiful in the desert.  Don is watching a Minnesota bowl game and I am fervently trying to finish a never-ending knitting project.  It secretly multiplies whenever we sleep. 

We will take time to call family later.  My cooking is very light for the next week as Don is sticking to a strict diabetic diet so he will eat different foods - some I don't cook.  Anything to get his blood sugar down again and it has been working already. 

Thanks for the message today.  Always so true to life.  I watch a history lesson on Martin Luther and it was so interesting.  He never intended to start a Reformation but the people - the workers jumped on his thoughts - it was time for the Lord to intervene in the world through him.  He was not a saint but more of a theologian and it changed all lives.  I just happen to like history. 

Larry:  the Cloud - I can't quite grasp it.  Having trouble deleting some books in the so-called cloud.  Will work on it one of these days.  Please take it easy and let everyone else help in the move. 

Jane:  Just reading the update on Joy.  It sounds very promising for you and your family - thanks be!

Pat!   Happy New Year to you! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!!!

Happy New Year to all who come this way.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

Hi everyone on a cloudy and sometimes rainy Friday morning.  We only had four at coffee this morning as the attendance has been down this week.  I watched/listened to several football games yesterday and a couple of them were very good.  We were in the car starting out to visit a couple from our church.  She is now in Hospice care.  Before we got very far he called and said it was not a good time to come so don't know what has happened.  I plan on staying home the rest of the day and will get more packing done. 

Carol,  the cloud is simply a huge number of computers tied together with very sophisticated software.  Just think of your computer storage, but huge amounts of it.  If the books are in the cloud they are no longer on your iPad.  I don't think there is any reason to worry about deleting them from the cloud storage.  My dad's diabetes was controlled with diet for a number of years and mother watched the diet very closely.  It wasn't until he was hospitalized that he needed insulin.   

We went to exercise this morning - not used to going to a facility with all the equipment and it is so nice - television and you can even use an iPad or whatever.  However, our attention span is not what it should be so we are not going to tempt fate by multitasking while on a treadmill. 

I uncovered the sheets from two of the fruit trees - there was a hard frost here last night.  Sunny now and it is warming quickly.  One cousin is driving in from Minnesota today and he still drives a truck pulling a big trailer.  I told him he is too old to keep doing this - he is my age    Talked to another cousin who is already in the area and we are too busy to meet.  Our children - at home - have been taking advantage of the snow and were snowshoeing also skiing  - probably some were out skating as well.  They grew up in Minnesota and never missed a day of school or a day of being outdoors unless I dragged them indoors or made them destroy umpteen snow caves that looked a little unsafe. 

My intent this year is to get to another bible study - besides the one I have at home. 

Carol, I'm really going to try to get to a weekly Bible Study during the day somewhere.  Going to ask around.  I find that with my eye being so bad now, night driving is seemingly out for me till  we figure out what's going on with it.

I would love to attend a daytime bible study, too.  Like Pat, I have been advised not to drive at night.

Kristi told me today when I went back to the gym, that she doesn't think my heart is involved in the blackouts I have had, but rather, some sort of  mineral deficiency, maybe potassium or magnesium.  I must say I agree with her.  In her words, "Janet, you're as strong as a horse!"    But I will wear the holter monitor anyway, no problem doing that!

Darrel's new passport arrived in the mail today!!!!    YIPPEE!

What interesting messages today.

Some are "playing" in the snow, some guarding the trees, some packing to leave one place and settle somewhere else, and some of us talking about not driving at night.

I've been out to get my new CPAP, and was hurrying in from the car with groceries, and food for a friend, and totally forgot and left it out in the car. Thus, I'll be making another trip out to the parking lot pretty soon. Just like me - a forgetful ole lady. 

Y'all have a great rest of the day with our Lord.

Ruth Ann

I'd like to find an afternoon bible study, too.  I haven't been driving after dark for about two years now and find they're all scheduled for evenings, two at church and several small groups in private homes.   

Hi everyone on another wet and chilly morning here in Georgia.  It looks like it will be mostly cloudy this afternoon with some periods of rain and getting up into the high 50s.  I have a fairly quiet day planned for today.  A friend is coming over after lunch to help with some projects such as taking down bulletin boards and a peg board and getting Pat's sewing machine in their cases and ready to move.  I will probably watch the pro football game this afternoon.  Pat has started packing the glassware and other dishes stored in the dining room.  She shoo'd me out and will do this job on her own.

Carol, it sounds like you and Don are keeping as busy as you want to be.  Glad it is warming up down your way. 

Pat, so sorry to read that your eye is still giving you a lot of trouble. 

Janet, I went a few blocks last evening after dark to get a pizza we had ordered and the rainy roads and darkness was all I wanted to deal with.  I don't intend to drive at night when we get moved if I can avoid it.  Good thing to have your heart function tested and sure hope something else is causing the blackouts.  That was fast on the passport and now you all can relax in that regard. 

Ruth Ann, believe me you are not the only one who is forgetting things and having to make two efforts to get it.  Hope your new CPAP machine lets you get better rest.  Our son had the sleep test study done last week and his  results showed he didn't need to use the CPAP.  I know he was relieved about that as has used one before without being able to tolerate it. 

Jeanne, one of the things I have looked for on the church websites in our new location is a weekday Bible study.  We have been attending the one conducted by our pastor for several years and certainly am going to miss the study and the fellowship at Dunkin' Donuts afterwards.  We have been having about 16 people in attendance each week. 

Happy New year everyone.  John and I are gradually getting over this virus we have, John's almost went to pneumonia, mine just asthma flair again.

We have snow again, it is to snow tomorrow again.  The warning is out to be careful on the roads.

I have been studying through the Psalms and found portions that I have read before that really hit me this time.  I love word studies and often a passage can take many days to "dissect".  As a result I am not very far into the book.  I intend to finish Psalms and head into Paul's epistles this year.

I spend a lot of tiime on Facebook.  My focus there is to present the gospel, sharing meme's.  I have a lot of FB friends who don't know Christ, and I am using this means to spread the word.

Have a good day folks and enjoy being in God's house tomorrow.

The weather prediction for our area was snow and high winds, really cold temperatures.  It has started snowing, big lazy, fluffy flakes that so far, are melting on contact.  And no wind as yet!

I made a pot of potato soup for lunch, then we went out to Dollar General and bought a few things.  Also returned some house slippers I got for Darrel for Christmas, as they were too short.  You know, it is a rather sad thing when Dollar General is the best store you have in town!      But right now, it is true here.

Darrel is "watching" the ball game on the inside of his eyelids, with the TV muted.  I can handle this! 

John came out earlier to shower and change.  Beth is feeling lots better.  He said she wants her cookbook!  Huh?  Which one?  She used to have probably 30 or 40 cookbooks, but had me give them to her sisters as Christmas gifts after she had to move to the care home.  So I don't know which one she means. 

I'm going to start laying out things I want to take on the trip, on the spare bed.  I didn't do a good job of packing last time and want to do better.  And without adding weight, but rather, packing lighter!

I do not spend much time on Facebook, as it always aggravates me when I get on there and then realize later that I've wasted two hours or so! 

The following was posted on Facebook by Papa John's daughter Martha

Martha Brown Murphree re:‎John Murphree

For papa John 's friends who cannot see the post on my wall:
As we move into 2015, our sweet daddy's life is slipping away. Each day he becomes a little weaker, he doesn't eat, drinks only in sips and sleeps most of the time. Although his mind is still good, his voice just comes out in a whisper: "I love you" with each hug or kiss we give him. He can no longer stand. He is totally bed bound (or in his case, chair bound). My sisters and I have learned much from him. He taught us to fish, to ride a bike, to drive a car, to write a check, to stay out of debt, to paint a wall, to mow the grass, to love animals. He took us on adventures in other cultures. We learned French together in Belgium. He took us by canoe to the remote village of Mariki in Papua New Guinea .... and so much more...but mostly he taught us to be kind and compassionate, to love people... people of all nations: black or white, rich or poor, Christian or non-Christian...and in so doing, he gave us a glimpse of how God loves and taught us to love God.

How sad to learn of Papa John's condition. I had a meal with him and Cornelia several years ago. He is a good man of God.

Thank you all for your good posts. I did some work with mail responsibilities for friends and family, ate at my favorite barbecue restaurant, watched our team win an ice hockey game, and am now at the computer "conversing" with y'all.

Y'all have a really good rest of the day.

Ruth Ann