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Morning Devotional


"Keep thy heart with all diligence."-- Pro_4:23.
"The peace of God shall keep your hearts."-- Phi_4:7.


IN MOST of the old castles there is an inner keep, which is protected, not only by mighty walls and bastions, but by the portcullis at the gate, and sentries at every approach, who challenged every one that passed in and out. So the heart is continually approached by good and evil, by the frivolities and vanities of the world and the insidious suggestions of the flesh. It is like an inn or hostelry, with constant arrivals and departures. Passengers throng in and out, some of them with evil intent, hoping to find conspirators, or to light fires that will spread until the whole being is swept with passion, consuming in an hour the fabric of years to ashes.

We need, therefore, to be constantly on the watch; we must keep our heart above all else that we guard, for out of it are the issues of life (R.V. marg.). Our Lord says that "out of the heart of man come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, thefts," etc. The devil and the world without would be less to be feared, if there were not such strong tendencies to evil within--many of them inherited from long lines of ancestors, who, alas! pass down to us the worst features of their characters equally with the best.

Keep it Clean. Just as the eye of the body is perpetually washed with tear-water, so let us ask that the precious blood of Christ may cleanse away any speck of impurity. Remember how delicate a thing the heart is, and how susceptible to the dust of an evil thought, which would instantly prevent it becoming the organ of spiritual vision. Sursum Corda! Lift up your hearts! We lift them up unto the Lord!

The Sentinel of Peace. Then the Peace of God will become the warden or sentry of the heart, and it passeth understanding! We can understand the apparent peace of some men. They have made money, and their gold-bags are piled around them as a fortress; they have rich and influential friends, within whose protection they imagine they will be sheltered and defended; they enjoy good health, and are held in high esteem. We can understand such peace, though it often proves ephemeral! But there is a peace that passeth understanding! It is to this that our Lord refers when He says, "My Peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth." "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Keep me, Heavenly Father, as the apple of Thine eye; defend me by Thine Almighty power; hide me from this strife of tongues and the fiery darts of the wicked one. May my heart be as the palace which the Stronger than the strong man keeps in perfect peace. AMEN


Day-by-Day by Grace  Bob Hoekstra

   Hi Jane.  Thanks for the devotional as a young boy I can remember going to many Castles in Scotland and it is so true what this says about the strong hold of this building and what may be inside of it.  It is so good how we can put this to our own lives when it comes to Christianity   Thank you for this great devotional.   We had a great day at our service and then we had a lunch after put on by our pastor's .  So this was a good day.  May the Lord give you all a wonderful week and many good times to share about the Lord.  Love in Christ.   Gordon and Noreen.

Hi everyone.  We have just had a brief period of rain.  It is going to be a humid day but it is only suppose to get to 77 degrees this afternoon, a nice break from the 90+ degree weather we have had the last few days.  I came into my office this morning only to discover one of my office windows was cracked from side to side.  Apparently someone shot a bb gun or threw a rock with a sling shot at the window as there is a deep but small pit it in that caused the cracking.  These are dual pane windows and it did not impact the inner glass and the glass did not shatter.  It was just a shocking thing to see.  I will have to get someone out to replace the glass.  Life is seldom dull and one never knows what the next day will bring.  I have a light schedule today with attending a noon meeting and Pat will probably go to Aldi's as we are out of fruit and a couple of other things. 

Gord, good to see your posting yesterday. Nice of your pastor's to put on a special luncheon.  Do you attend a large church?

Gord:  Loved your message - Noreen and you are doing well.   

Larry:  Could that have been a rock thrown by a mower possibly?  We had a front glass door shattered by a rock thrown apparently when the mowers had come - they were gone so I couldn't tell for sure it was their problem. 

We continue to see the little raccoon and when we check the deck, that critter slowly walks over to the stairs.  What an arrogant raccoon. 

I just spent two hours working on an old Singer featherweight - now I should put it up for sale.  Don has to take a sleep study mechanism back to the VA hospital and we plan to stop somewhere for a muffin and coffee.  A/C is on for the afternoon here - the house seems to be heating up fast. 

Hi, friends. I'm still at my daughter's home. The Most recent x-rays showed new bone development and I'm wearing a new cast. Next visit to doctor comes in early July. I'm enjoying the companionship and love from the little dogs, and daughter and hubby are loving and kind.

Y'all have a good rest of the day.

Ruth Ann

   Thanks to all and we did have a beautiful day in our area.   

Larry.  I do not go to a very big churc but it is a very active church it is called Brethren In Christ. Our head offices are in Pennsylvia and we enjoy it a lot.  Our approx att. is 180 or more and we have 3 pastor's two who are full time and one does approx 20 plus hours a week the are such an awsome teem.     May the Lord be with you all this week.   Gordon and Noreen.  Please pray that I have safety today as I am working at my part time job

Hi everyone on a beautiful 77 degree morning headed for 90 this afternoon.  The rain is finally over with zero chance of more rain for a couple of days at least (unless the forecast changes). I have two things on my agenda for today.  First I will call the Auto Club and get someone here to help get my car started so I can take it to Advance Auto and get a new battery.  The other major thing is to line up two or three estimates on my broken glass in my front porch window.  I have already taken care of the normal morning chores like emptying the dish washer and watering the flowers. 

I mentioned the delicious lemon pie Pat fixed a couple of days ago.  Last evening we were going to finish our evening meal with the last two pieces of pie so I went to the refrigerator, picked up the pie plate, over which Pat had placed the microwave cover and as I took it off the shelf the cover slipped and the pie slid out of the dish mostly on the bottom ledge of the refrigerator but a little bit on the floor.  Well I wasn't going to waste the last two pieces so I got a dish and scooped the majority of the pie into a bowl and then we set about cleaning the refrigerator and floor where the pie had spilled.  I felt silly but it was purely an accident.  I should have used two hands but had taken it out of the refrigerator the day before without incident.  It is a wonder the glass pie dish didn't break but it was fine so no real damage done. 

Carol, I am pretty certain it wasn't from the lawn people that the window was broken as they were here last Wednesday and the pit and cracks weren't there until yesterday morning.  I think it is just one of those random things that happen to us during our lives and it will be fixed and all will be well.  As far as I know I certainly haven't created any enemies since living here.  It sounds like that raccoon has adopted you. It sounds like Don did the type of sleep study that I did a few months ago that can be done at home.  I am getting along great with my CPAP machine.  Unfortunately, the same problem continues to plague Pat's use of hers and she is about to give up on it.  I plan on contacting the support department of the CPAP company to see if they have any solutions to the problem.

Ruth Ann, thanks for checking in and letting us know you are still at your daughter's home.  It sounds like they are making your stay very comfortable and I am sure your grandchildren are loving having you there.  Glad your leg is healing.

Gord, that is a nice sized church and sounds much like our church before we moved in terms of attendees although the membership was somewhat higher.  What are you doing at your part time job?

Hi, friends, Actually, Larry, the grandchildren are their 3 dogs. (Chuckle) Yes, I'm grateful to be here.

Also, I've had an ongoing issue with my digestive tract that is now controlled with a medication. Oh my goodness, I'm so very thankful for the improvement.

Y'all have a good day.

Ruth Ann

Ruth Ann:  Amazing Grace surrounds us - you and your close family enjoy and heal.

Larry:  Lemon pie - I understand because that cannot go to waste.   

We had a violent hailstorm yesterday with the ravine flooding and tree limbs, parts of neighbor's fence being washed to the cover of the huge runoff drain by the road.  Believe me, we didn't stand near the windows.  Other people had smashed windows and even lost roofs.  Remember my saying we have had two new roofs in three years?  If the roof would be damaged again we would be dropped by the insurance company.  That is how rough it has been in this area.  Amazing Grace that our area had little damage if they had cars in the garage. 

    Hi Larry.   Well I drive a truck sometime's and was going to the U.S.A.  Maryland and many many other place's and also southern Ontario.  I deliver many many differen't types and  today I worked 10 and a half hrs.  so it was a very long day  I also drive a Mercedes Benz Sprinter which is a very nice vehicle .  Well I am tired now and am going to go to bed early as I have to volunteer tomorrow and then go to a funeral.  Have a good day.  And God's richest blessing's.   Gordon and Noreen.

Hi everyone on another bright, sunny 68 degree morning.  We are suppose to get to 88 degrees this afternoon.  After they checked my car over at the garage they decided it wasn't the started but the ignition module on the steering wheel that had failed.  So I had to leave it overnight for the repairs and there will be a hefty bill when I pick it up later today.  We stopped at Aldi's for groceries on our way back home so that is done for another week. I am going to take it pretty easy today and have already done my morning chores.  We will be spending time with Scott this afternoon and early evening and may go out to eat but will make that decision this afternoon. 

Ruth Ann, you gave me a chuckle when you said the grand kids were dogs and not humans.  I understand that as Scott and his wife considered their dogs as their children but, in all honesty, I had a bit of a problem thinking of my self as a granddad to dogs.    Glad you are doing better. 

Carol, Jenny mentioned yesterday what a hail storm you all had experiences and that it ruined their beautiful flowers.  Sure hope your roofs are OK and won't need to be replaced again.  You all have had some really severe weather in the Denver area this year.  It is great to have a garage for the car when hail hits and area.  I can get all of my planting cover of the porch or patio if we get high winds or hail. 

Good sunny and cool morning all.  The winter wool blanket from Faribault, Minnesota (famous woolen mill) is in the washer on the delicate cycle and soon to be in the dryer for a wee bit - then totally dried outside.  I am waiting for an hour to get my hair cut at the special price - save a little.     The bird feeder roof is dangling so our resident raccoon is back in action at night. 

Don found a refurbished iPod for me - all I want is to listen to either music or audio books.  It took me much too long to set it up and now there is a little issue with the zero key sticking.  Can I live with that irritation?  Maybe.... or, the option is to send it back to eBay seller.  It seems like we are always fixing something.

All these little irritations are nothing compared to the huge issues a lot of folks here in CP are going through each and every day and night.  Praying..........evermore. 

 

Hi everyone on another beautiful clear Thursday here in South Carolina.  It is currently 67 degrees but headed up to 88 degrees.  I was just outside and the humidity is way down.

I did not feel well yesterday so spent a good deal of time laying down both during the morning and the afternoon.  I am feeling somewhat better this morning.

About 4 pm Pat drove me down to pick up my car at the mechanics.  Hopefully it is now pretty well fixed up. 

It was after 6 pm before Scott got here and then we enjoyed dinner at home.  Pat had made a pumpkin pie to go with our meal as that is one of Scott's favorite pies.  He stayed until after 10 pm but I had to say good night around 9 pm.

This morning I plan on going to coffee and then the Wisdom group at the church and that should pretty much be the day although we never know what the day may bring before it is over. 

Larry, I don't like to read that you weren't feeling very good yesterday.  And I'd like to know that you feel more than "somewhat better" today. 

I'd like some warmer temps, low humidity and only light breezes.  But I guess I'll just take what comes.   

Jeanne:  It is hotter than normal here today - you never know what kind of weather is happening until you look towards the mountains.  Then, we can predict weather even better than the forecasters.   

Bird feeder saga continues:  A squirrel came to visit and tried to take the lid off while we were watching today - usually the squirrel and a pal run along the fence and chase each other. 

Larry:  You do the right thing in resting right away when you are not feeling well.  We have one car now and have worked this out for about two years.  It seems to be just fine.  Everything is so convenient here, except the VA Hospital and Don's doc.  Appointments are well in advance so that has never been a problem.  If Don is gone - breakfast with the men today - I always wish I had a car available but there is usually something to do around here. 

We had a call from our neighbor asking for help in getting her husband in the car this morning.  He is not looking well and needs much stronger pain meds    

Did I ever mention Don makes all our birthday and anniversary cards on the computer?   Our granddaughter has saved every one - we just found out.  So sweet. 

Hi everyone.  We are expecting our high today to be in the mid-90's so will be a good day to spend the afternoon inside where it is cool. 

Yesterday turned out to be a great day as felt like my old self and really enjoyed coffee with the guys and the Wisdom group.  Pat finally completed a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle that was very difficult as the pieces were cut in really odd shapes.  She has been working on it for several weeks. 

About the only thing on the schedule for today is that Pat has a 10:15 doctor's appointment.  I probably won't go with her as we have been there several times and the route, while taking about 25 minutes, is an easy one.  This will be the furthest she will have struck out on her own since we moved here.

Carol, I have a card programs on the computer and have made cards on occasion.  Nice of your granddaughter to save the ones Don has made for her over the years.  It sounds like she is a very sentimental type of person who treasures things like the cards. 

I hope all who visit here today will have a pleasant day.

I spotted a squirrel scooping up little rocks and throwing them out on the lawn area just to get into the fallen bird seed.  That little dickens.  Have named him Dickens.  We will have to take down the bird feeder because we cannot keep cleaning up after all the wildlife here. 

We went to a huge store - Lowes - for help and no one can fix our bathroom broken sink - they said we would have to buy an entire new counter $$$ - that is the 2nd. person who has given us unwanted news. Throwing money down the drain - literally. 

Just updating computer information here and called into VISA for our new cards to be activated since it didn't happen online - spoke with an English speaking woman and she was so pleasant.  We drove back through the heaviest traffic ever - this is the fastest growing city in the nation.  Our neighbor sold her mother's really old and unkept house in a matter of two hours - much over the price.  We have had realtors knocking on our door - so it goes today.  We voted through the mail today - a really nice man and a super nice gal canvassed our neighborhood - they both have saved money for our area so they have our votes. 

Praying for our sweet and faithful neighbor.  He always has a smile - now on heavy pain pills and still smiling and full of testimony to anyone who listens. 

 
Hi everyone.  It is another clear morning and we are headed up to 95 this afternoon.  As far as I know we won't be leaving the comfort of our home today other than a couple of outdoor chores that I will do in a few minutes and later to get the mail. 

Yesterday I did drive Pat to her doctor's appointment.  Then on the way back we stopped at the Bernina Sewing Machine Dealer's and she bought an adapter for her sewing machine. 

Then we went back to Tin Lizzies for lunch and had a very good, but very spicy dish.  Certainly no supper was needed last night.  Neither of us were able to finish the serving but it wasn't appropriate to bring home. 

Today I will just work on some routine items here in my office, read my Sunday School lesson and just enjoy and unhurried day.

Carol, that was quite the industrious squirrel.  They are determined little critters and quite resourceful.  Your real estate market out there is really something.  I wish I could share our little and peaceful town with you and you would absolutely love the lack of traffic.  I still marvel at it almost everytime I am driving.

A new week begins and a new devotional is HERE