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Morning Devotional...



And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening.
Genesis 24:63

Recommended Reading
Psalm 1

The Bible provides a clear pathway to God's plan for our lives, and meditation is a key ingredient in finding that path. Some people shy away from talking about meditation because of the influences of Eastern mysticism. But biblical meditation is the art of mentally chewing on the passages of Scripture we've been studying until they become digested by the mind and assimilated into our personalities.

In his book about the Puritan practice of scripture meditation, David W. Saxton wrote, "Though God's people should delight in meditation, the modern high-tech church has almost totally forgotten about this hidden jewel of spiritual strengthening."¹

To rediscover the art of Bible meditation, take a passage or verse you've been studying, become thoroughly acquainted with it, then spend time simply thinking about it—while you fall asleep at night, when you're driving to work, during your daily walk. According to Psalm 1, when we meditate on God's Word day and night, we're like trees planted by rivers of water, fruitful and prosperous.             

Meditation pulls the latch of the truth and looks into every closet, and every cupboard, and every angle of it... It labors to affect the heart.
Puritan William Fenner, quoted by David W. Saxton

¹David W. Saxton, God's Battle Plan for the Mind (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books), Kindle edition.

Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah
Copyright © 2015 Turning Point for God.

Hi everyone.  Jeanne, thanks for that fine devotional thought for us to concentrate on this week. Helpful thoughts regarding meditation.

Another clear morning and going to be hot again, as it should in the middle of summer.  I just got back from getting our usual Sunday breakfast.  We will be going to Sunday School and church and then out to lunch somewhere.  I am thinking Mexican but haven't discussed it with Pat.  Yesterday seemed to be such a long day and I wasn't up to par.  So I laid down for a couple of hours in the AM and again in the PM.  I was a bit disappointed that the British Open Golf Match was so delayed.  Hopefully they will have good weather today and tomorrow as they try to finish it.  Looking forward to listening to Don's classical music program this afternoon.  It has become a part of my Sunday afternoon schedule. 

Hope everyone will have an enjoyable Sunday.

Jeanne, your devotion is simple, clear and valuable - thanks for sharing it with us!

My work schedule has had me traveling quite a bit over the past month, which partly explains my lack of participation here.  I usually pop in for short visits now and then, but have hardly done that lately.  Things look to be quieting down a tad, so perhaps I can join in a little more here soon.

I hope you all have a blessed week!

Jeanne, I enjoyed that teaching from David Jeremiah.  He gets straight to the point and is very clear.  Thanks for sharing it!

I have been away for a night and a day.  Granddaughter Abby spent ten days in a dance camp at Oklahoma City University, and I got to go with her parents to see her dance in their closing Showcase.  The young folks did a beautiful job, and showed how much they learned in such a short time! There were 36 girls and ONE lone boy!     He certainly was noticed! 

Since Beth's fiancee John is here, I asked him to check on Darrel, and he did.  He also drove me to Hugoton, then came to Hugoton to pick me up late last night when we got back.  This is because of my eye problems (night blindness).  I am not supposed to drive at night, nor do I feel safe in doing so.  John is such a blessing, and not only to Beth!

I hope to be able to take a nap this afternoon, as I got only about four hours' sleep this morning.  Pastor was really fired up and preached a really good sermon this morning! 

Ken, it's so good to see your post today!

Good day everyone, Jeanne I enjoyed the devotion from Brother Jeremiah.

We have been in Luke 11 for over a month now and  boy oh boy, have we dug into that chapter. Ending with  the fact that Jesus is the only way. Our pastor has a way of tying everything together that I've never heard before and makes the scriptures come alive.

Next Sunday we are having service first then going out to the Sunset Bay State park for a picnic. 
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28958-d255287-Reviews-Sunset_Bay_State_Park-Oregon.html'
http://www.americansouthwest.net/oregon/sunset-bay/state-park.html

Pat I didn't think I had sleep apnea either, I just didn't know what was wrong until I had the Sleep Analysis. All O knew is that I wasn't sleeping much at night and that every time I sat down to watch TV I would fall asleep as well as being almost unable to keep my eyes open driving any distance. When I asked Savannah if I snored she made an awful face and shook her head yes. So I asked my Dr to send me for a Sleep test. that was 9 years ago.

Marilyn, my sister uses a C-pap machine and thinks it's the greatest thing in the world!    My son-in-law Jeff snores really loudly, and I suggested to Diane that he may need to be tested, but I don't think he has, yet.  Good sleep is so important!

I had lots of laundry to do, so have been doing that today.  I don't usually do much work on Sunday, but laundry is hardly even work any more, with the wonderful machines we have!  And I have another busy week shaping up, with the Fair and its activities.  I did manage a little nap, so that's a really good thing!

I did get some really nice photos of Beth and John, and as soon as I put those on the computer, will see about getting them on here so you can see them!  I have a phone number to call tomorrow; next step in finding a good wheelchair for Beth!  And I have begun looking at possibilities for her a wedding ensemble.    I must start a list; it's been quite a few years since I have helped plan a wedding!  They are SO excited!! 

janet I also think my machine id the greatest thing in the world I do sleep good  and take it every where I am going to sleep over night.

Hi, friends,

I agree - the CPAP machine is a wonderful invention. I use mine every night, and like Marilyn, I take it everywhere I go.

I've dealt with a 24 hour headache, so now that it's over, I feel stiff muscles from holding my head so still.

Y'all have a great day.

Ruth Ann

Hey Everyone!

We have some terrific APPLE photos to vote on!   Have you see them?

http://www.christianphotographers.com/community/index.php?topic=13333.0

Interesting to read all about these machines.  I don't have one.  But I've heard that they are great!

Hi everyone.  The weather remains the same, hot and humid with no rain.  Today is a day of preparation for Pat as she faces surgery tomorrow.  Other than attending a meeting at noon I will likely stay in and stay cool the rest of the day.  The builders have arrived next door and have started again on the upper story.  I fully expect that the house will be enclosed and the roof put on by the end of the week.  So far the noise hasn't been bothersome. 

Ken, nice to see you posting and do hope we will be able to see more of you in these discussions in the days ahead.   

Janet, I expect the boy in the dance class had a great time.  It is nice that Abby has the opportunity to attend such a camp.  John sounds like such an outstanding individual and our regard for him is obvious in your postings.  Glad you had the opportunity to get away for a little bit and it sounds like Darrel got along fine the short time you were away.  It seems like you just had the County Fair.  Guess it has been a very fast year. 

Ruth Ann, glad to ready your headache has abated.  I used to have them about once a week but it now has been many years since I have suffered with one and that is usually sinus related. 

Marilyn, your study of Luke sounds like it was a very good one.  We too have a fine Bible teacher in our new pastor (new to us as he is starting his 6th year at this church).  I expect Pat will hear the results of her sleep study sometime today.

Pat, have opened the apple page and will view the entries and vote a little later this morning when I finish with the message boards. I am hoping that Pat is eligible for a CPAP machine as think it would help her feel better and give her better sleep.  She is a noisy and restless sleeper. 

Oh, my!  What a day we have had!  I got up at 6 this morning and stepped in water in our bathroom.  It wouldn't have been bad, were it only the bathroom; but we had almost a full-house flood again.    I just couldn't believe it had happened again!  I called our faithful friend and carpenter, Lon, and he came right out and found the source of the water--a hole in the water line to the ice maker.l    We called the water cleanup people and they were here for more than half the day, and now we have a lot of VERY noisy fans running all around the house and in the garage, too.  Darrel says we will go to a motel tonight; we can't sleep in all this racket.  BUT I choose to praise my God IN everything, and I am!  I know God is for me, so who can stand against me?  This will shake out to our good, too, and the enemy cannot have the victory!!  Inconvenient?  Yes.  Lots of hard work?  Yes.  Expensive?  Most likely.  But we are alive, we are regaining our strength, and we still have much for which to thank our loving Father!

John took Beth to Garden City today.  They just came by, and I went to the van and talked to her.  They had a good time, they said. 

Larry, I hope Pat has a good report and gets good results from her surgery and will soon be feeling fit as a fiddle!

AND...we received a check today for our wrecked 2009 Mercury Sable.  Not enough to buy another car, but it will surely be a big help! 

I'm going to stop.  I cannot concentrate in all this racket!!

Larry, how is Pat doing?  Hopefully the surgery went off without a hitch and she recovers quickly and completely!

Great attitude, Janet...but not a fun mess to deal with...again    I wish we had some of your excess water in our part of the world!  We are very dry in the north and northwest.  Amazingly enough, our wildfires situation hasn't been as bad as it could so far.  We've jumped on a number of fires, and with the good Lord's help, have been able to get them knocked down quickly and before they got very large.  That may all change beginning later today, as we had quite the storm blow through last evening, dropping 400-600 lightning strikes per hour and it lasted roughly three hours.  It started a couple new fires that were quickly contained, but we expect to see several fires "pop up" when we reach the 90's this afternoon.  Most likely there are a few (or many) trees smoldering right now, just waiting for heat and a little wind.  So we've pretty much cleared our calendars for the rest of the week in anticipation of the coming "fun!"

Just for perspective, here is a shot of our typical country when we were fighting a fire on July 4...

Ken, that's quite a picture of fire results.  Are you a member of the fire department?

Yes, after we and 71 of our neighbors lost our homes from a lightning-caused wildfire in 2012, we joined the local VFD so that we would be better suited to defend against them in the future.  Our Bull Mountains tend to work like a lightning magnet because of the mineral make-up of our soils, so we get more than our share of fires...unfortunately.

Good for you, Ken.  I can't imagine a fire of that magnitude.  We do have some brush and forest fires once in a while, but I've never known any of them to be threatening homes or really much out of control.

Hi everyone.  Just now home from the hospital to rest for a couple of hours and then will go back for a couple of hours.  Pat's surgery was without problems and she is doing well.  Everything was on time in terms of when she went to the ER and back to her room after recovery.  Now she will be in the hospital probably until Thursday morning and then faces 6 weeks of recovery.  Our son went with us this morning and he is at his house resting but will also go back for a while later this afternoon.

Last evening we had a brief but severe wind and rain storm.  We heard this loud bang and when I looked at the window on the side of the house where the new home is under construction I saw a large piece of plywood had apparently blown off the upper level and I just checked and it had hit my Heat Pump and bent in one corner of medal.  So now will have to deal with the builder, the same builder as built my house, to get that metal casing replaced. 

I missed something Larry What was Pat having surgery for?  Adding her to my prayers.

Freckles  A'ced her final  evaluation she is now an official Furry friend Therapy Dog.  I will pick up our vests on Thursday and the monthly meeting. he is such a good little dog and so smart. Well most heelers are extremely smart and she lives up to her breed. She is a mix with Australian Shepard sand Australian cattle doe (Queensland Heeler)

Larry,  Stopping by to check on Pat's surgery and your note sounds positive. 

Janet, the more modern our appliances become, the more faulty issues happen.  Love your attitude! 

Hi, friends,

My goodness! So much news today. I thought I would cool off from being out in the heat today, so came to the computer.

Janet - my, dear, you have many difficulties, but your attitude is contagious - praise Him in all things.

How exciting to be part of the dog therapy group, now, Marilyn. Congrats to you and to Freckles.

Larry, was Pat's surgery for her back problems? Did she get a CPAP?

It's so good to be able to go to the prayer and praise section and mingle our prayers and also our praise for those requesting prayer or reporting praises.

Y'all have a good rest of the day.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

Over in our "Apples" Challenge, one of our Team Leaders, Laughing Peppers,  posted this and I thought it would be good if you all saw it?

Quote

I second the motion, Pat. We need more "Janets" to post encouraging words of appreciation for the photographers who put the valuable effort in keeping the Mini Challenge afloat. Without the contenders, there will be no Mini Challenge.
Thank you, Janet.

Having said that, let me thank all the participants one more time. (photographers and voters) I truly enjoyed all the entries -- the creativity, the artistry and the originality. What a show of apples!!

I second the motion, Pat. We need more "Janets" to post encouraging words of appreciation for the photographers who put the valuable effort in keeping the Mini Challenge afloat. Without the contenders, there will be no Mini Challenge.
Thank you, Janet.

Having said that, let me thank all the participants one more time. (photographers and voters) I truly enjoyed all the entries -- the creativity, the artistry and the originality. What a show of apples!!

http://www.christianphotographers.com/community/index.php?topic=13333.0
[/quote]

My son, Andrew, came to look at his bees today and to add two boxes (1 each to two hives).  As he put the 2nd box on the second hive, the bees turned a wee bit nasty and he got about 3 or 4 stings in his hand.  I went to my kitchen and quickly found my Benedryl and got out two capsules and gave him as he cooled his hand under my cold tap.  Then he went back to finish adding the 2nd box to the hive he had to leave open while he went into my kitchen and finished the job.  He came back late to show me his hand and arm and it was all pretty swollen but no heart palpitations or anything like that so no hospital visit and he's gone to bed as he needs to be at work in a nearby city (Burlington) by 6 am.   

Hi everyone on an early July morning.  Yesterday was an exceedingly hot day and my poor flowers on the front porch showed the impact of it this morning as I had to pinch off quite a few of the fading blossoms.  It will be very hot again today. 

Pat seems to be doing very well.  I just talked with her this morning and she didn't have a bad night.  She said they will let her take a shower this morning, remove the pain pump, and get her up and moving about.   I will head down that way later this morning to spend several hours with her, come home to rest a couple of hours this afternoon, and then plan on going back down to spend a couple of more hours with her this evening.   


Pat, sorry to hear of Andrew getting stung yesterday.  Are these bee hives in your yard?

Marilyn, congratulations on your training of Freckles.  I answered your question, as well as Ruth Ann's, in private emails.   

Yes, Larry, they are tucked away down at the back.  They are no bother at all usually. 

Please give my love to Pat.  How long do you think she'll be in the hospital?

Larry, I am glad to hear Pat's surgery went well and that her recovery is so far looking good.  Will keep you both in thought and prayer.  And while I am at it, I might ask for a little cooling in your neighborhood

We were back in the 90's yesterday, and as predicted the previous evening's lightning started a number of wildfires.  I spent the afternoon on one of them.  Fortunately we didn't have too much wind to deal with, so the fires were contained before they burned up very much real estate.  Unfortunately more lightning occurred last night   So we continue to maintain our vigil and hold off on making any real plans until the weather improves.

Pat, as much as I love honey and really enjoy shooting photos of bees, I don't think I'd want the hives too close to my house!  When I was young I got too close to hives my uncle was tending and was swarmed by a bunch of angry bees, with several in my hair and stinging my head.  Ever since then, I get nervous around hives!  The whole ordeal probably wasn't as terrifying as my memory, as the mind of a ten year old kid can exaggerate a little!

Have a blessed day, everyone!

Ken, thank you for your encouraging words!  And you have a great attitude, staying there and helping to fight fires, after one took away your house!  That is so scary!  About the worst we get here are prairie fires, and thankfully, not too often.  Of course, there is the occasional house fire, but not weather related.

Larry, I also wondered about Pat's surgery, as I don't recall the things you mentioned needing surgery.  So glad she is doing well, and pray for a supernaturally fast recovery!

Today came with yet another challenge for us!  We got THREE INCHES of rain last night, and when I got up this morning, we had no water!  I mean, none came out of the tap!  Our well flooded, floated the pressure tank up, breaking the lines and doing I'm not sure what all in the way of damages.     This is getting really tiresome!  But I know that every test comes for a reason; that He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world!  And I know that in spite of what I see or feel, God loves me, he is for me and never against me!  So I will stand and praise Him, no matter what comes against me!  This, too, shall pass, and one day I will understand why it is happening.  God is able to turn what the devil means for our destruction to our good, and He will do that for us in this, too.  I pray the repairs will not be too costly, and please, God, don't ever allow us to have water damage or well problems again!

I got out to the fairgrounds to do my job at quarter to nine, as we were supposed to do.  My helper and I waited....and waited...and waited... and our judge did not appear.  Finally, the Home Economist came by and asked, "Where is your judge?" then made some phone calls and learned the judge had cleared it with "someone in my office" to come at 1:30 instead of 9!   The word didn't make it down the pipeline, and now my whole day is out of whack.  But I came home and Darrel and I went to Dollar General and bought a few grocery items we have been needing for weeks, so It's not a total wash!  Just another test.  And I am determined to pass every test, as I don't want to have to do any re-takes!!

Thanks again to all of you who know how to take good photos and POST them.    I will get the engagement ones of Beth and John either on here or get help and get them posted so you can see those happy smiles of theirs!!

I'm getting much too hot here, as the heaters and fans are still running, it is 95* in here and very, very noisy!!  So I will retreat to my prayer room!

Love you all!

I came back to say I'm glad Andrew is okay after the bee stings; and to congratulate Marilyn and Freckles on their accomplishment!  I think that would be such fun, taking a therapy dog in to visit folks.  So many dog lovers out there! 

 

HEART TEARS

Theres a smile on my lips
Twinkles in my eyes
Laughter in my voice
But it hides a thousand sighs
For you cant see the pain
That rips my soul apart
Or see all the tears
Falling from my heart

They are hidden tears, heart tears
You will never see them flow
They come from a broken heart
But their falling you never know
All you see is my smiling face
You never know my fears
But inside there is an aching
As I shed my heart tears

There is One who loves me
Who can look so deep
See the beating of my heart
And when its tears will weep
He can wipe the tears from eyes
It's truly is His art
But best of all He catches tears
Falling from my heart

They are hidden tears, heart tears
You will never see them flow
They come from a broken heart
But their falling you never know
There's a Saviour who cares for me
Who knows all my fears
Is there to comfort me every time
I shed my heart tears

Colin Moffett

Hi, friends,

Today has been an out and about day. Now it's almost time to go out again. This time, friends are meeting me for dinner at a nice Thai restaurant.

So sorry about the continuing troubles, Janet. Larry, I hope Pat's recovery is quick and that she will be able to feel better right away. Ken, I appreciate your work in fire fighting. Pat, those bees would have to go if someone wanted to put hives in my yard - I really have an allergy to them.

Well, must go.  Y'all have a good rest of the day.

Ruth Ann