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Morning Devotional...





I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13


A. B. Simpson knew by experience the unavailing struggle to be holy, and he knew also the Bible way to holiness. In a little hymn composed to be spoken at the conclusion of one of his sermons he states it this way: I take Him as my holiness, My spirit's spotless, heavenly dress, I take the Lord my righteousness- I take, He undertakes. We have but to abandon the effort to be holy and trust God to do the work within us. He will surely undertake. There are many other happy exchanges we Christians may make if we will, among them being our ignorance for His knowledge, our folly for His wisdom, our demerit for His merit, our sad mortality for His blessed immortality and faith for sight at last.

As we give ourselves to Christ, He undertakes for us. We cannot make ourselves holy but He can and will as we rest in Him. The exchanged life is ours by trustful faith in Him.



I can do everything You want me to do but only through You, Lord Jesus, who gives me strength.

From Devotions By Dr. Tozer

Hi everyone on a beautiful Sunday  and very warm morning morning that is headed to hot.  We will go to Sunday School and Church this morning and then plan on going to Ruby Tuesday's for a two for one big hamburger meal.  Plan to watch the PGA golf tourney later this afternoon.

Ruth V, I appreciate your prayers.  Nice to see your posting and hope all is well with you and your family. 

Happy Birthday Ruth Ann. 

Janet, thank you for your prayers (and for all who have indicated they would do the same).  It sounds like you have a very talented great niece that must take after you.  She must be very excited to have won at the Fair.  What great honors you achieved at the Fair.  Do you have a place where you can display your many ribbons and awards.  I am not surprised you were so honored. 

Don, thanks for getting us started off on the new week with a fine Devotional. I do believe it is the Lord who provides our strength.

Larry, thank you for your kind words!  Over the years, I have won many ribbons, and have found no satisfactory way to display them; also they would take a large space on a wall.  I read about someone who attached them onto a quilt; but although they are beautiful when new, in a few years' time, they turn strange and not pretty colors.  So I put them in a drawer for a while, then when they get ugly or wrinkled, throw them away.  One of the ladies at the fair was telling me that a neighboring town has stopped buying the ribbons, and now awards foil stick-on ribbons instead, which the 4-Hers love because they can easily put them into their record books. They asked the judge to tape them to their entry cards so as not to mess up the sticky side.  I'd like that too, as I could put them in a scrapbook.  They also save the county quite a lot of money, over the ribbons.  Yes, Autumn was thrilled with her premiums and ribbons.  Her Dad teased her about splitting the money with him and her younger sister and her answer was "NO!" 

I don't know whether they will pay me for the judging I did or not.  They should at least split the $100 fee, as I did more than 75% of the judging.  But if they don't, that wont bother me much, I enjoyed judging the kids' and the amateurs' work.  She did only the High School and the professional classes. 

We learned why John's license was suspended.  He went online and checked his driving record, and found it was because after moving here, he bought insurance on his car here, but New York thought he was driving with no insurance.  I also learned why the ticket said 5 PM as his court time:  It is municipal court, which is at night, at City Hall, rather than the Court House.  So I think when he shows them his proof of insurance and explains his problems getting his Kansas license, he will be okay, and hope there won't be a fine.  That is tomorrow evening.

Darrel and I will be leaving on Tuesday for his HS reunion, plan to drive home on Friday evening.  I'm hoping Colorado Springs has an Apple store, so I can find out why my iPhone will not take photos--again.

I guess I will go see what I can find for us some lunch!  Have a happy day!

Larry..... we are well.... a few minor health issues.... however, at the moment nothing astronomical.
We have been keeping busy; still bringing in the winter wood, bookkeeping , etc

Praying for you Larry.

Freckles was on the news Friday evening,
Here is the link to the story.  http://kcby.com/news/local/furry-friends-therapy-dogs-visit-coos-bay-library-to-help-kids-improve-reading-skills

So grateful that this morning is cool in the house.  The new A/C is scheduled to be installed this Wednesday.  Other news is that one grandson arrived back after driving straight through from Phoenix - without the A/C and it was about 114 degrees in AZ. 

All these summer birthdays we have been celebrating.  I remember the heat in the little house - two of our four were born in summertime here. 

Larry:  Prayers for you and Pat as you go through your medical issues now.  You now have your son very close so that will be a big help. 

Janet:  When do you go to the Springs? 

I need to put some things together and see if a consignment shop will sell them for me.  Wishing it would cool down a little - this heat is bothering both of us too much. 

Carol, we are going to the Springs tomorrow, then coming home on Friday.  We got a lovely half-inch rain last night so it's nice and cool this morning!  And we are thankful!

Marilyn, I got a message saying "Error playing this file" so didn't get to see Freckles.  ;-(

I'm doing laundry now, and will pack this afternoon.  We don't need much for only four days!

Larry, I hope you're all right today.  You are usually the first one to post, so I'm concerned for you.  I will check back in here later to see if you have posted.

We are trying to decide on our next travel adventure! 

Janet, the link works for me but here it is again

http://kcby.com/news/local/furry-friends-therapy-dogs-visit-coos-bay-library-to-help-kids-improve-reading-skills

Hi everyone.  It is to be another really hot day here with no rain.  We plan on getting to COSTCO close to the time they open at 10 am so we can get back home and into the cool ASAP.  Pat likes the meat at COSTCO and our larder is about bare so sort of a necessary trip.  Nothing else on the schedule for today.

When I went to use the garden hose to water in front it sprang a leak and there wasn't even enough pressure to get a drop out of the end of the hose.  This is 3 hoses that have failed on me this season already.  Although I don't want to guess I will have to go with a heavy duty hose.  I am still awaiting the replacement hose for the back of the house but am confident I will get it any day now.  It can't be overuse as I use each only a few minutes a day and never leave pressure on the hose.  Certainly not life's biggest problem.

Carol, your grandson is young so the heat probably didn't bother him like it would us.  I know you will be glad to get your A/C replaced tomorrow.  It is comforting to know our son is near by.  We see now that he isn't needing us as much as the last year as he seems to be getting over his grief.  That is a very good thing.

Janet, I wrote my posting here first but apparently didn't follow through and post it.  I know I did it as put it in the other two discussions I follow on Seniors and Friends.  Please don't worry about me if I fail to post for a day or two.  If there is anything serious I will try to at least let everyone know with a short posting or have Pat call one of you to let you know if I would get to where I couldn't post (I can't image such a thing)!!    Good luck on your travel planning.  Good you are traveling while you are able health-wise to do them. 

Hi, friends, It's steamy hot here in Nashville, so I've been thankful to stay inside today.

I'm growing stronger each day. That's a matter for thanksgiving.

Also, I've found a nice lady who cleans my apartment and goes to the laundry room for me.

Well, y'all have a good day.

Ruth Ann

Hi everyone.  Today will be a repeat of yesterday and the last several days.  The daily chores are done.  As of this moment Pat is planning on attending her crafts group this morning.  I will drive her, take care of errands at the Credit Union and the Post Office and then go have coffee with my friends at the cafe.  Scott's schedule changed because his boss is on vacation so he has to work until 4 pm but plans on coming out to have dinner with us.  That will be out day.  We did get to COSTCO yesterday morning.

Ruth Ann, nice to see that you are getting stronger each day.  Also that you have found someone to clean for you.  Stay cool.

Janet:  there is an Apple store in south Denver.  Sorry for you because it always takes so much time.  If you need it, I will check for the address and could possibly meet with you.  I know - your time and our time is limited.   

Ruth Ann:  very nice to see progress in your healing. 

Waiting for the workers - hoping they really do show today.  We seem to be at the mercy of any worker these days. 

The heat is not helping. 

Janet:  I sent you an email with phone number. 

My email is all small letters, not what is listed here.  Enjoy the Springs and be sure to take a walk in the Garden of the Gods.  We spent many hours of lunch time there one year. 

Workers are already a half hour late......

Hi, friends,

Today was a nice day - it began with breakfast at Cracker Barrel restaurant where I met my daughter in law and granddaughter from Georgia for breakfast. They gave birthday cards and I received several hugs.

I hope y'all have a good rest of the day.

Ruth Ann

Hi everyone.  It is going to be another 100 degree day here with no rain in sight.  I woke up at 4 am and could never go back to sleep.  The normal morning chores are done and the trash bin is at the street. 

Today I will pick up my friend at his new living place, which is an assisted living home very close by to go to coffee.  Our Minister is on a well earned weeks vacation.  His wife insisted they go out of the country and she planned the trip for St. Croix. After coffee I will stop at Chick-Fil-A to pick up a good meal.  I placed the order online last evening and when I get there I just have to click on "I'm Here" and the order will be filled.  After I get my friend back to his apartment I will stop at a Dollar Store and pick up some cards that Pat needs for the Sunday School card ministry.  If I am not too tired I may make a quick stop for a couple of items at Walmart.  That will be my exciting day, at least that I know of now.

Carol, I sure hope the A/C workmen finally got to your house and got you all set up so you can be cool for the rest of the summer.  FYI, the actual email name prior to the @ is case insensitive so it doesn't matter whether it is in Caps or lower case.  However, the password is case sensitive. 

Ruth Ann, a nice way to start your day yesterday.  I bet the hugs were the most important thing you had  all day. 

Larry:  Thank you for the message about case sensitive names.  You sure have some hot days - soon, August will come and at least the evenings begin to cool.  Your neat trick of pre-ordering at Chick-fil-a sounds great to me.  Our little store is totally swamped every day so we don't even go near it  Of course, wouldn't you know - Don does not care for chicken.....

We don't need a/c at night but it will be on today just for a few hours in the afternoon.  So very grateful - it is now set at 76 degrees and we shall see if that fits - Don always likes it colder.  Perhaps his den will be cooler with all the new settings - it should save electricity.

Off on errands again and cleaning after the guys who were here yesterday.  Always something. 

Hi, friends, It has been quiet in the Bice household today.

So, I will sign the guest book and duck out for more quiet this afternoon. 

Y'all have a great day.

Ruth Ann

Greetings from Oregon's south coast!  I just returned from an almost two week trip to California and I am so very happy to be out of that triple digit heat!!  It was 108º for two days before I left and my granddaughter said it was supposed to get to 112º today!   It is all of 65º here as I type this!   

Dot and I drove up to Sonora to visit with Joy and found the news not-so-good.  The chemo wasn't helping so they have stopped it.  She is subsisting on pain meds now, but still goes in for hydrating twice a week.  She is very weak and frail, sleeps a lot, and told me she is in constant pain.  In her words they are "just waiting ... "  It makes this mother's heart heavy, to say the least. 

My granddaughter, Becky, fell on the (stone) steps at her apartment last Sunday and has a trimalleolar (sp) ankle fracture.  She will be messed up for the rest of her life, with surgeries and rehab, etc.  The apartment management has been told, many times, to get the lighting fixed there.  Now someone has been seriously injured and there just might possibly be a law suit.  Becky knows some personal injury attorneys -- she used to work for them!  It seems there was a storm a few months ago (like back in February) and it knocked out the electrical in the entire parking area and complex.  They put in a few motion sensor lights, but even that wasn't working the night Becky fell.  There is a video of the fire and ambulance picking her up and it shows it is in total darkness .... no lights at all!  And Becky's apartment is upstairs so she is currently confined to home.  She was told to make an appointment with Ortho for surgery but then got the run around because of her insurance.  She is miserable and worried about her future.  She had only started a new job the week before -- worked 4 days!  She won't be able to work for a long time, can't drive, can't even get around at the moment, has no money ... therefore can't pay rent and will most likely be evicted.  And the beat goes on ...... 

I will be on stand-by for the phone calls asking for my help .... that's what grandma is for, I guess.     Also hoping that John keeps me in the loop on Joy's condition.   

P.S. John just posted this on facebook:

John Stephan Update for you guys. Joy was having a lot of pain issues last week so a trip to the ER which showed bowel irritation. Her Dr changed her meds and upped the dosage to help her manage. Yesterday she received a dilaudid pump and she slept like a baby last night. She is woozy today and has experienced some memory loss and is confused but pain free. She doesn't answer her phone anymore but occasionally will read texts but usually won't respond since she has a difficult time typing. She is still smiling and her attitude is good.

Oh Jane I am so sorry for all the bad news in your family. I was so hoping that Joy was getting betterr with the chemo and having less pain. And poor Beclky. Problems for the rest of her life with her ankle sure doesn't sound good at all. I hope she can manage to get some lkkind of help financially  come how like from Welfare and a good lawsuit.

We are leaving tomorrow morning for Vancouver Washington to visit Craig  and family. That is Keith's oldest son, the one that is a Doctor. They just bought a new house with some land and fruit trees. I hope some of the fruit is ripe so we can bring some home. We are taking Freckles with us. We will be back probably late Sunday.

Hi everyone.  Another copycat day of the rest of this month.  I have completed my outside chores so hope to pretty much stay inside today unless we decide to go out for lunch as this is the morning for the Housekeeper to be here. 

I had a very good nights sleep last night, over 8 hours and woke up with my hips joints not aching, which they had all day yesterday and evening.  When I went to bed last night I applied some Aspercream to each hip where it was hurting.  I will certainly try that again. 

Carol, I am still learning how to use the Chick-fil-a app as when I got there yesterday morning to pick up the order it had been cancelled.  Apparently it needs to be picked up on the day it is submitted.  However, the order was filled very quickly so no complaint.  We eat lots of chicken fixed various ways.  Glad you can now be cool on hot afternoons. 

Ruth Ann, quiet days are welcome.

Jane, my heart goes out to you as know these next few months are going to be hard with dread every time you answer the phone. I know you are a women of strong faith and God will see you and your family through these tough times.   Glad you were able to spend time with your daughters and grandchildren.  Glad you had a safe trip back and forth. I will remember you and your family in my prayers.  It sure sounds like Becky will have a good liability case against the apartment management. 

Marilyn, hope you and Keith have a great visit with Craig and family.  It sounds like there is a nice yard for Freckles to run and play. 

Jane:  How difficult it must be for you just thinking about what your daughter and now granddaughter are going through.  I am glad that you were able to have a get-away visit.  Sending a prayer for each of your family.

Hi, friends, I'm back in from doing a few errands.

Not much to say, except I will continue to remember Jane and her family.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

Hello, everyone!  We are back home from Darrel's class reunion at Colorado Springs.  We had a really nice time, and the weather was perfect!  A bit cold one evening and pretty hot one afternoon, but still, no complaints!  If I remember correctly there were 16 present, including spouses of the class members.  We really enjoyed the Air Force Academy grounds, touring the Chapel, then we had outings to the Broadmoor, and Seven Falls.  We didn't go to the Garden of the Gods, though.  Also didn't go downtown, nor on to Denver.  We just spent most of the time visiting and catching up.  The traffic around there was pretty heavy, and I thought about Carol and Don having to contend with the traffic in the Denver area.  I couldn't handle that!  We had a pleasant and uneventful drive back home today.

I will fill you in a little more tomorrow, as I really need to get to bed!

Hi everyone.  It looks like we might get a little break in the weather in that it is forecast for a high of 94 today and a 30% chance of an afternoon rain.  As far as I know neither Pat nor I have any plans to leave the house today and I have the outside watering done for today.

I had high hopes for yesterday but the weariness and hip joint pain changed that.  As a result I spent a large part of the day in bed or in my easy chair with heat on my hips.  I did sleep OK last night.

Janet, nice to read you and Darrel had such a nice time at the high school reunion.  Does the elevation of the Denver area bother either of you?  When I read that our church mission team's village in Peru was over 12,000 feet I had to wonder how they could work.  Pat and I have visited the Air Force Academy Chapel and it is quite stunning.  Looking forward to more details of your trip.

Just checking in on this sunny, warm Saturday morning.  I have a heavy heart as I think of probably never seeing my daughter again here on earth.  She is on her way to her heavenly home where all the pain and problems of this world will be non-existent. 

I read this post from John on facebook this morning and I'm praying for that same peace.
I am praising God for the continued opportunity to practice love and patience in my daily situation. He has granted me peace.

Thank you all for including us in your prayers.

Jane, I am so sorry for this turn of events.  I'm praying for that peace that passes all understanding to keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.  Oh, how thankful I am for knowing we will see our loved ones on the other side!

Larry, glad you got some relied from the pain in your hips.  It really robs you of rest when you are hurting.

We had a lovely tour of the Chapel, and yes, it is a stunning building.  We also had a tour at the Broadmoor, and went up to Seven Falls, where we climbed half of the 224 stairs, so we made it to the first platform.  They now have an elevator that takes you to "the Eagle's Nest" where you can see the whole length of the falls, so we did that as well.  The rest of the time was spent in visiting and reminiscing.  The grounds at the Academy are beautiful, and we ate a couple of meals at the golf course.  Very nice!

We had only about an hour and a half notice today that a long-time friend had died and the service was to be at 2:00,  but we were able to get around in time to go to the service.  I want to resume my interviews with the older people of this county; as several told me today how much they enjoyed reading those.  So, even if the Ulysses News won't print them, I can save them and put them into a book, which will be better, long term.  It may not reach as many as having them in the paper first, but I feel it is a valuable service to my community.

God bless each of you!

Hi, friends,

I've had another quiet day. And, I plan to listen to Dr. Charles Stanley as he presents the Word to his congregation via television.

May our Lord help you and your family to rest in peace, Jane.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

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