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Morning Devotional...





So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28


Living in the Now with Our Man in Glory

The trusting child of God is safe in Jesus Christ. When the lambs are safe in the fold, the wolf can growl and snarl outside, but he cannot get into the fold. When the child of God enters the Father's house, the enemy of his or her soul can roar and threaten, but he cannot enter. Such a shelter is our high privilege!

In Old Testament terms—the shadow of reality--God promised He would cover the sin of His people. In the New Testament covenant, God declares He will put our sin away forever. This is a vastly different thing! "Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin (that is, without a sin offering), but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:28).

God chose eight and perhaps nine writers to provide us with the New Testament. These inspired Scriptures agree that the symbolic shadows in the Old Testament have given way to the new covenant of grace and pardon mediated through Jesus Christ, who died and rose again. We look back with gratitude and love to His atoning death at Calvary. We look forward in hope and expectancy to His second coming.

This all adds up to the fact that Jesus Christ is enough for all our needs. He is our great High Priest and Intercessor in heaven. He is the worthy Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. By His blood He has consecrated forever the way into God's presence. He is our Man in glory.

Let us thankfully hide in Him and be safe!

Christ is our Man in Glory. He has made the sacrifice for our sins. He intercedes for us. He will come again to take us home. In the intervening period He is all we need. We may draw on His strength, live for Him and confidently hide in Him!



You are all I need, Lord, more than I can ever experience. Thank You!

From Devotions By Dr. Tozer

It appears I'm the first one in here today (after Don).  Thanks Don for the thoughts for the week.  I am SO GLAD that the wolf cannot enter the Master's sheep fold!  So we can lie down and sleep, even though hearing him hiss and growl and paw at the door.  Such safety!  Such security!  What an awesome God we serve!

The pageant was pretty good last night.  There were 9 girls from the area entered, and each one did a talent.  Singing, dancing, piano solos, and one dramatic reading.  They called it dramatic, but it was actually humorous!  I don't know any of the girls personally, so it didn't matter to me which one won.  Well, actually two girls won: One is Miss Southwest Kansas, and the other is Miss Santa Fe Trail.  Okay, enough about that!

I am going to see my friend Paula in a little bit, to take her some homemade soup.  She loves soup, and this batch is really good.  Only problem is, it probably has things in it she isn't really supposed to eat on her dialysis diet.  But she can maybe eat a little and her husband (who is a big guy and a big eater) can eat the rest.  Right?

I know what Larry  is doing this afternoon!  Watching the play-off games---right, Larry?  So is Darrel.

Nothing else worth reporting here.  Where are the rest of you?

Don, thank you for that devotional.  What a wonderful day it will be when Jesus comes back!

I've just come back from a trip to the store for a couple of items I forgot yesterday.  It's cold, but not anything like it's expected to be for the rest of the week and I didn't want to take a chance on running out of things like milk when the afternoon temps won't get much above 10 degrees.  [attachimg=1]

Hi, friends,

During this cold weather, I've been scanning our photos so the children can have a copy of those that they want. Of course, since these have come from envelopes, frames, etc., there's no sequence to them. So, it's turning out to be a wonderful memory trigger - where we were when the photo was taken, how old the children were and so forth.

Isn't it so good that memories seem to be kept by the mind if they're good ones, and the bad memories seem to fade away.

Ah, well, just the natterings of an old lady this chilly afternoon.

Y'all have a good rest of the day.

Ruth Ann

Hi folks. I have been feeling down thus I come to read and then move on to something else.  The selfishness of people is so frustrating but oh well. I know who really cares.

All of you here do give me a lift.

We are experiencing another windy and cold day oh yes it is winter I forgot and tomorrow is another day.

chin up Ruth  Spring is on it's way and then summer and the heat. I know how you feel. I hate winter more every year as I get older.

I spent this afternoon sewing rows of squares for a mission quilt - whilst hearing and sometimes watching Denver win and Seattle win too.  Either one is a winner for me as Seattle is my home town and brothers and cousins are probably cheering wildly today. 

Don:  Thank you for devotions.  We are safe.

Ruth:  Sorry that you had an experience with selfish people - where is the civility?  You are loved!

Ruth Ann:  My hubby just spent weeks upon weeks going through old photos so he knows of your endeavor.  He put everything on DVDs and also made separate DVDs of each child from birth until almost now.  At some point they may appreciate his work, we hope.  They seem interested. 

Hi everyone.  It is going to be up to 58 degrees this afternoon but our weather will be changing with several nights with hard freezes.  Pat and I both had down days yesterday and took a pass on church and just spent the day resting.  Today is our Monday Men's luncheon and we are going to one of our favorite buffets.  I enjoyed watching the football games yesterday and know that Carol and Jenny were happy with the results and others were disappointed but next year will be here before we know it.

Don, thanks for the fine devotional for this week.  Are those children in the photo your grandchildren?  Nice looking family. 

Janet, nice of you to share your soup.  You had me pegged on the playoff games.  Fortunately they didn't start until 3 pm so was able to get in my rest and actually was back in bed to watch the last game as wasn't feeling up to par last evening. 

Jeanne, glad you are stocked up on what you need and won't have to get outside.  I am never outside more than a few minutes but I don't like the very cold weather at all. 

Ruth Ann, you are right about memories.  Scanning photos is a time consuming activity.  I need to go through many albums and discard many of the photos.  Several years ago I scanned the pictures I wanted to save and my kids won't care about the old photos.

Ruth,  hope today finds you feeling a little more chipper.  Sometimes people don't realize they are being selfish and other times I am sure they do but don't care.  Glad to see you posting. 

John,  winter gets harder on us as we age a bit and you have to be out in it a lot up your way. 

Carol, you sound like Pat sewing up rows of squares and then cutting those rows up into smaller pieces to make the patterns she wants in her quilt. 

Speaking of old photos, a few years ago I was at our Spring Fling where many people had booths of things to sell, and I came across a box of old-fashioned photos with a sign on it saying INSTANT ANCESTORS.     I thought that was pretty clever.  When Darrel's mom cleaned out her house, sold it and moved to Amarillo, they were going to throw away all the old family photos.  I couldn't stand it!  So guess where those boxes are now?    Someday I guess they will get pitched, anyway.

Boy, those two games yesterday were SO different from each other, weren't they?

Ruth, good to have you posting.  We love you here!  Some people just do not think how their actions or words may affect others, but try to shake it off and jut know God and many people do love you!

Larry, hope you continue to feel better after your low yesterday.

Jeanne, glad you won't have to get out for maybe a few days at least.

Curtis wants me to come help him today.  His wife Toni went with his Mom and his sister Abby to market in Dallas, and he has been taking care of the three little girls since Thursday morning.  He says it's hard to get anything done and keep track of them, and I said, "Now you know what the life of a mom is like!"  He wants to clean out his basement, so I will watch Chelsea and Jenna for a few hours.  Lexi is at school.

Now I must go make me a big salad to take along for my lunch!

One last check on our email last night brought news of a favorite neighbor's passing.  We lived in the foothills of Denver at that time and a music professor (retired) lived next door.  He was so worried about playing the piano too loud - I loved it.  A kind and gentle soul - we wanted to visit before we left but he was too ill to be seen. 

Larry:  Sorry that you had a down day but you and Pat did exactly what you needed to do and that was to rest and revive. 

Hi, friends,

Well, the doctor checked out my foot and ankle today and decided that I should remove the brace and try walking in my shoe without the brace for 2 weeks. Then, he will determine if the shoe will be enough or if he needs to get me into a permanent brace and shoe that will accommodate the brace better. So, it sounds encouraging.

Yes, I know it will be a tedious process to go through the photos, but then, being retired and the only one old enough to identify some of those on the photos, I think it will provide many hours of enjoyment to take care of this for my children.

Larry, if you feel like thinking about this, could you recommend an external hard drive that I can use to backup my computer and also to save these photos? You're much more savvy about the hardware than I am.

Isn't it wonderful that some pharmacies have drive-through windows! A neighbor of mine is very disabled and she needed her heart medication. So, she ordered the R_x, wrote the check for the exact amount to pay for it, then I drove through and picked it up. It certainly was easy to walk a bit down the apartment hallway and give it to her. And, my foot worked all the way, going and coming. 

Here in Nashville, the temperature rose all the way to 62 degrees Fahrenheit, and then an "arctic clipper" will be coming through that promises to give us 9 degrees above 0 on Wednesday night - BRRRRRRR!

Y'all have a wonderful rest of the day.

Ruth Ann

This has proved to be an interesting day.  John was out and about most of the day and when he came home he commented that a neighbour's house was on fire.  I was curious, so out we went and me with my camera.  This is what we saw.  Good that no one lived there and there was no human loss, however there is always loss of property even with property insurance.

It has been a cold day.  The Polar vortex is back and reaching down into the US.  Stay warm friends this won't last.  As John said spring will come.

I also got some nice winter sky shots....I may post them later.

Ruth Ann You posted as I was typing.  I pray that the shoe works!  I have done part of the picture inventory, our nephew has all the pictures taken when I was a child in England with mother.  I really wish I could get and see them.  Mom knew where every person and place was, wish I had her memory.

Ruth Ann:  Sending up a prayer for your healing.  Another cold freeze coming through for a lot of people so I hope you can stay warm and cozy over this next weather issue. 

JudyB:  It must be devastating to lose everything in a fire - I feel sorry for the firemen & women too who fight fires in the dreadful cold. 

I put a call in to a cousin to see if they are up to visiting.  Otherwise, I made BBQ pork tonight and a side dish of apple cobbler.  Totally full. 

Brrrrrrr another cold day and night coming up The thermometer outside right now reads minus 18 F. I know spring will come but it can't come fast enough for me. This extreme cold bothers my arthritis in my lower back. Feeling very uncomfortable at the moment. But as scripture says It has come to pass not to stay. Back on the road tomorrow. don't know where to yet. Big secret till the last minute. Be nice if it was somewhere a bit warmer like Florida or something. I know by their standards its cold there to but by our standard it is warm. At least warmer than here. One thing about this severe cold, it generally means no additional snow. That happens when it gets milder. Well going to run Blessings everyone.

Just a quick update as I get ready for work Folks Went out to start the truck and the thermometer read  minus 36 F I think I'm a good candidate for Florida. LOL Have a great and blessed week folks

Hi everyone.  It is another sunny morning but the wind is suppose to be pretty gusty today and then the temp will get down to about 19 tonight.  I just have one activity this morning and the rest of the day will be free.  Pat is going to a class at the Atlanta Sewing Center with her friend.  It is on using an embroidery machine, which her friend has.  However, she is not taking the machine with her as it is too heavy.  Fortunately, Pat has no interest in doing this but enjoys seeing how things are done and just wanted to be with her friend today.  It is a 2 1/2 hour class this morning so she will be exhausted when she gets home. 

John, I hope you get a run to Florida. 

Ruth Ann, hope just using the shoe works well and you won't be faced with wearing a permanent brace. 

Janet, it sounds like Curtis will have a better appreciation of what his wife does each day in caring for the three little ones. 

I had a nice day with Curtis and the girls yesterday.  I stayed with the kids while Curtis worked in the basement, sorting, cleaning and moving.  Those kids have way too much STUFF!!  He said they are ready to get rid of a lot of it now, after moving it twice!  And those kids have enough toys for 50 children, and not cheap stuff, either!  I never knew there were so many toys that make music, talk, and other things.  Oh, my.  But the little ones are very sweet and loving, and I guess this old G-g-ma just has to accept that it's a whole different world now.

Brrrr, John and Judy!  Now that IS c-c-cold!  It's cold here, but probably warm by comparison.  I just hope we don't have wind again today.

Ruth Ann, I hope just the shoe will work well for your poor little foot!  It's had enough misery already.

Carol, sorry about your neighbor.  As time goes on, I think about how many there are in heaven, who will be there to welcome us home.  I feel better about those who have gone on, when I think of how happy they are now, enjoying the presence of Jesus and all the other joys of our heavenly home.

As I approach the end of my three weeks on the Daniel Fast, I am finding it harder to find things to eat.  I am a bit tired of vegetable soup, beans and salad!  But I am so thankful that I haven't craved sugary things at all--what a blessing!  And Sunday will soon be here! 

The house cleaning lady is just about to leave.  She does a half-way job of most things but at least the price is right, and it helps us some, though only two hours every other week, so I am grateful for the help.

Diane, Toni and Abby got home safely from Dallas, and that's another praise report.  Thank you, Jesus!

Janet:  Good for you on your special diet.  I often think about getting someone to help in the house - twice a year for deep cleaning would help me a lot - thinking about it after I get home.  Yes, we are losing friends and relatives so quickly now. 

Really bothered by the gov of New York's statement that "conservatives should leave the state".  His way or the highway.  This is the Land of the Free Speech for either side.  Bothered yes, but I know all things will work for the good in the end.  Some politicians sell their souls to be elected. 

We will drive to Yuma, AZ on Thursday to meet with a cousin & his wife.  He is having some heart issues so I want to get there pronto and check on him.  His wife is a nurse so she knows what to do - otherwise, he is still golfing and even rode his motorcycle.  Good grief! 

JohnB:  I don't know if this would help your back but we use a roll-on pain reliever called SalonPas.  I have arthur in my left wrist - probably brought on by bursitis from when I shoveled snow years ago and the pain was so incredible at that time. 

Larry:  It sounds like a fun day for Pat - she will need a nap.

Hi, friends,

I'm thankful for a quiet day with a few necessary things accomplished.

Soon, my son will call, and we'll discuss the day's news in his and in my worlds.

I can't think of much to talk about today. Thank you for the prayers about my foot situation.

Y'all have a good rest of the day.

Ruth Ann

Larry and Janet you are so are so right about how I feel.
Judy do you think the house fire was planned??? 

Enough for now today has been a cool but very sunny day. 
I have a knee that is bothering me very much and what I found odd this evening I took one of my daily calcium  pills and the pain has gone who has an answer at least is it better than pain pills that may or may not work .

I am about to get our evening snack ready which will be a bowl of raspberries.

Ruth

Ruth I can't say that.....Bryan was a good friend, cant see him doing something like that.

It is still really cold.  I am sitting still knitting.  I may as well use up the yarn stash I have here then I can increase it again as I go through the new yarn shops I have found.  A good friend has said she would like a sweater, "but you don't have to do that" when I offered to make her one.  LOL She will have her sweater!  Anyone else have a request?  LOL

Well back at it.  I put bread into the toaster and it has popped and I have ignored it, guess I don't need it after all.  Now this week I think I have it right, John has gone to Iowa,  I am praying the storm that went through there is all cleaned up by the time he in westward bound!

JohnB:  I made a mistake earlier.  The roll=on pain reliever we use is called "Stopain".  The Salonpas pain med is in patches and perhaps also in a spray.  However, the inexpensie Stopain actually helps more than you would ever think. 

Getting ready for bed and tomorrow I would like to finish sewing the quilt top so I can bring it in for tying.  Must do laundry - and all sorts of things, packing for our drive to Yuma.  We can use the pool at cousin's place as the community pool is heated there.  Not so here so I have never been in this beautiful pool.  It is too expensive for everyone to pitch in and heat it all year round - well, not much in the summer. 

Hi everyone.  I got up fairly early this morning as woke up and couldn't seem to go back to sleep.  It is 16 degrees here this morning---BRRR for us.  We are suppose to get up to a high of 34 this afternoon.  I am planning on attending Bible Study this morning after coffee at McDonald's.  That will be it for today.  Yesterday did turn out fairly busy as after my meeting I went to Firehouse Subs for a sandwich and then went to Walmart and did some grocery shopping for Pat and to pick up a couple of items I needed.  I was able to get a cart that was fully charged so was able to get around the store without having to walk.  It was about 2:30 before I got home and could rest and went to bed early last night.  Pat enjoyed the class in attendance with her friend,  They then ate lunch out and finally went to visit a mutual friend.  Needless to say she was tired when she got home and we just shared a Mexican TV dinner that I had purchased yesterday. 

Judy, don't envy John in having to drive to Iowa as it looks like the bad storm has gone through there and I understand there are some more storms on the way. 

Ruth, having seen how much Pat struggled with knee pain I feel for you but glad something stopped the pain for awhile.  She no longer speaks of knee or hip pain and is so glad she had the replacement surgeries.  Now if she could just do something about the bad back and inflammation in her hip, which is causing her a lot of discomfort. 

Carol, I would think New York would be doing things to want to make people live there and not drive them away.  The tolerance level among people in this country is getting rather slim. 

Janet, nothing like little children to bring joy to our heart.  Nice you could spend the time with the three little girls.  I think I share your view on the children's toys and think I commented on Christmas for our great grandchildren.  I actually felt sorry for them as they must have been exhausted by the time they got all the toys unwrapped.  I am shocked at the cost of most toys today. 

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Still in the low minuses temperature wise.  However the sun IS shining making for a beautiful day.  The dogs don't want to be out in it, can't say that I blame them.  I went out to take some pictures yesterday and boy did the car complain!  It was fun though, and so beautiful.  If the dogs wouldn't complain I would take them for a walk!  (No I don't do cold but is is a beautiful day)

I am finding resources for more yarn.  There is a company in Quebec that sells the Irish yarn, so when we go to visit John's cousin in Ottawa we will take a day an go exploring and perhaps get some Irish yarn.  Also there is a wonderful yarn store about an hour and a half from us that I have to see.  In Guelph there is one as well, so I am not stuck with WalMart inferior yarns!

I saw a way to make cats comfortable in the outside during the cold days.  I need to locate a Styrofoam cooler and tape it with a opening in it for the cat.  I have one that won't come in it is totally feral.  However we do have a barn with plenty of bedding in it for the cat.

That is about all for today.

Lovely (brrrr) scene, Judy.  We don't have a lot of snow on the ground right now - maybe about 2 inches.  But it won't be going away anytime soon.  Right now my thermometer shows +2 F or -16 C and the breeze is pretty brisk so wind chill is still way below zero.  I'm staying in!   

Hi everyone.  Since I posted early this morning decided to stop by again this evening.  It was a full day with Bible study, where we viewed a video on the history of the beginning of the Christian ministry among the Jews told by three Christian Jews.  It was quite interesting.  We then went to Dunkin' Donut, where it was nice and warm and finally four couples of us went to the Rocking Chair buffet and had a great lunch.  We all agreed the food was good and is getting better each time we go.  We had to hurry home as Pat had her massage treatment at 2 pm and I rested while she was gone.  It tuned out to be a nice sunny day and I saw it got up to 37 degrees this afternoon. 

Judy, sure sounds cold up your way.  Nice picture.  Since you have a barn your cat should be able to find a warm place.  Do you have any hay in your barn. 

Jeanne, glad you don't have a lot of snow.  I think our colder temp was more tolerable today than it was yesterday when it wasn't as cold but we had brisk wind.  The wind and colder temps really are uncomfortable.  I have never been able to understand why the weather forecasters think they have to be outside in the cold to deliver the weather news and over dramatize weather as if it were something we have never had before.  Guess it is all about ratings. 

Hi, friends,

It's been a quiet day with catching up with a sister in law whose birthday is today and doing a bit of work in the apartment.

They say the temperature is supposed to drop to 8 above zero tonight. Brrrrr!

Y'all have a great rest of the day.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

Well It looks like this is the first time this week that I have been here. I've been dealing with a sick dog in Happy who is urinating blood. I took him in yesterday so now he is on 2 weeks of antibiotics, when he goes back in two weeks if there is still blood in his urine he will have an ultrasound. I have  dog pads laying all over the house because at times he can't hold it and it just comes out where ever he is walking.  I prayed over him before we went to Coquille to the Vet and again when we got there and were waiting.

On Tuesday I took Bebe to work with me to have a growth removed from her lip, she is doing well. I prayed over her before she went  because the surgery was done with only a local because she has a heart murmur, and we were concerned about putting her under. But she did so well it was amazing. She was so calm and not a bit scared.

God is so Awesome, I love the way He hears our prayers and answers them even for our pets.

We had a little snow overnight--around two inches.  It was really cold when we went to the gym this morning--8*--but has warmed up a lot.  The sun is shining and the snow is melting.  And we always need every drop of moisture we can get!

Larry, I agree with you about the weather reporters standing out in the cold, snow and wind.  Makes me cold to look at them!

I got good news and bad news yesterday.  The good news:  I have lost seven pounds!
The bad news:  Doctor told me the bone density test I had showed severe osteopena in my hips and moderate in my lower back.    I was SHOCKED!    I fully expected her to say, "Your bones are in great shape!"  So I am to decide whether to take Boniva once a month, or go to the hospital for an injection every three months.  Any advice from others with this experience?  Kristi told me (and showed me) several exercises to help build up my bones, and they are all rather difficult.  But  I will "soldier on" and try to remember to do them during the day, not only at the gym.

Marilyn, I have certainly prayed over our pets before.  God loves all His creatures.

Judy, those sweaters sound great!  Will you please show us a photo?  You sound much less stressed lately, which is great.

Two more days on my fast!  But I want to continue this way of eating, for the most part.  Just will add some meat back into my diet again.  But now I need even more leafy greens and other foods containing calcium, for my bones.

I have talked to all three of my sisters today! 

Hi everyone.  It is now evening and we are just home from an afternoon of playing domino's with two other couples and then having dinner at Chili's.  This morning I met a friend for breakfast.  We are headed for a really cold night and a cold day tomorrow.

Ruth Ann, it sounds like we have similar weather tonight.

Marilyn, sounds like you have been very busy with your dogs.  Hope they both recover. 

Janet, I was diagnosed with the osteopena when I had  a bone density test a year or so ago and my internist put me on 1500 mg of calcium with vit D.  I have no idea of whether is helping and I have no idea what the severity is.