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Morning Devotional...




Two weekends ago I went camping with some men from our church. On a cloudy Saturday afternoon we drove over to Higgins lake state park near Roscommon Michigan. I chose to sit and watch as several from our group went swimming. In hindsight that may have been the better choice. In any case, I had several black flies attack my ankles while I sat there talking with some others from our group. I couldn't believe it, but they bit me right through my socks! Finally I liberally sprayed my socks with bug spray, and that was the end of it, or so I thought. Almost a week later my ankles began to itch. I tried several things to get it to stop, and the topical ointments, including one with Benadryl, were only partly effective. Then out of desperation I took an antihistamine tablet, and that actually seemed to help.

Now I have these red scabby patches on my ankles that itch, but not nearly so bad as before.

I was thinking on this, and it entered my mind that the black flies are like sin. They bite through our socks and later trouble develops. Our socks are like out fleshly defenses, ineffective. The bug spray is like our after the fact efforts to correct the problem with prayer, or Bible reading. The only real cure was an internal one. In the case of sin, being filled with the Holy Spirit is the cure, and the preventative, and Bible study and prayer should be done before going out to the spiritual beach. Maybe next time I go to the beach in August in Michigan I will remember to put the bug spray before, and not after.

I don't mind Pat!
Get well soon!

Terrific analogy of the black flies.  Anyone who has been bitten by them can understand the story better.

Thanks Pat

Hi everyone. 

I want to post before we leave for church as have a busy day planned and won't be home until evening. 

Pat, thanks for sharing the story written by Smokeythedog.  It certainly drives the point home regarding sin.

Nothing much new since I last posted so will be brief today.

Oh, I guess this is 24 hour flu.  Hope it only lasts that long.

So happy you didn't mind Smokey!  Your photos are great too.

More later.  Crawling back to bed.

.

I was looking for Janet's China report.  Can't find it!   

Church was great!  The sermons were about Salt and Light, Matthew 5:11-16.  Very interesting how two minister speak about the same subjects and don't say the same things.  Next week the times change and I won't have to be there as many hours.  Good and bad.  Afterward I went to WalMart for some items.  Yesterday I raised my patio umbrella and the wind caught it and broke it.  It was cheap so I was hoping to find one on sale this time of year.  WalMart had one but not on sale.  I ate a Cabo Chicken Sub at Quizno's and then went to Home Depot.  No umbrellas.  I came on home.

Ivalou's daughter, Jo, has been helping Ivalou in the yard.  They took out flowers and put down plastic and some river pebbles.  And a bird bath.  Looks really nice.  But ran out of river pebbles.  So now they have loaded up Jo's van with 'stuff' from the garage to take to the Good Will, then to get some river pebbles and look for an umbrella for me.  Ivalou gets a lot done when Jo comes to visit.  Too bad she lives in Ohio. 

Now I feel like it is time for a nap!  ZZZZzzzzzz!

It's cool here in Nashville, so I'll probably head to bed for an afternoon nap, too. This is such a change from the extreme heat we suffered in July and August. I wonder if an early autumn is in the offing...

Y'all have a good day and evening.

Ruth Ann

I can't find Janet's China report either!....sob, sob.

Etta Sue:  How long have you been a "Red Hatter"?  I am too!  Arn't they fun?  This is the ONLY time I wear a hat!. LOL....I'm not a hat person.

Pat:  Sorry you feel "fluish".  I'm sitting here in our family room, - no slippers on, and my feet are cold!  Norm suggested we put the fire place on briefly.  I thought, "Oh, NO... not yet!".

Larry:  Do you still meet with your friends for coffee at the mall?  I was to our mall last Thursday, and saw a group of about 8 men, enjoying theirselves over coffee.  I thought of you!

I've been scanning back, reading some old NEM's, and thought of SONJA!  . PAPA JOHN, T BEAR, - and many others.

Well not really anything to exciting around here rain yesterday and all day today and very cool as well. On goes the sweaters.

I think that I will be making sloppy Joe's for dinner this evening along with some fresh vegies and a bowl of peaches without the cream as we do not have any in the house.

Janet I am another that would like to read  about your trip to china. I will send you another e-mail address.

Pat: I hope that the flu goes away soon. I was just told of some in our area that are not well as well. 

Ruth

Hullo there all  y-all. I see I forgot to post this morning before church. not much new here, the service thismorning was awesome. Pastor Danny is such a good preacher and his messages are always so right on. Today was #2 in a two part series on the Voices of God. The numbers were down but I expect they will be back up next Sunday. People go away for the holidays.

I am going to work for Jan tomorrow, Her son is coming from Palm springs for a week so we switched her Thursday to tomorrow for this week, So I will have 5 days off wow that will be lake a vacation for me. Hallelujah!  hope the sun shines so I can get our and take some pictures. I think I wiill plan on that anyway, make a list of places I want to go. The Natural History Museum in Arcata is one.

Sundays that I work are always difficult. I get off a 12 hour midnight shift, and have to stay up for church.
Today we had the Lord's supper, and I often get asked to help serve. I tried to avoid it by not sitting on the end of the row. Didn't work.  I always seem to have an adventure when I am assisting with the Lord's supper or taking up the offering, and this was no different. At one point I ended up with three of the 4 offering plates! It was so strange. I've rarely had such a bad time of it.
I was thinking about it on my way in to work tonight. There wouldn't have been such a problem if people would have moved in and filled up the pews.
Instead there were many pews with one person on one end, and one on the other, or one in the middle and no one on the ends. Maybe they were sitting that way because that was where God placed them in the church, and the empty places are the gaps made by those who don't come for whatever reason, or those who will come. When the members of the church are scattered about it makes it hard for the body to function and some get caught juggling 3 "offering plates".

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