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Morning Devotional...





Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36


In the kingdom of God, the surest way to lose something is to try to protect it, and the best way to keep it is to let it go. This was the word of our Lord Jesus Christ: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross!" Christ turned from the fallen world of Adam and spoke about another world altogether, a world where Adam's philosophy is invalid and his technique inoperative. He spoke of the kingdom of God whose laws are exactly opposite to those of the kingdom of men. So, the true Christian is a child of two worlds. He lives among fallen men, but when he is regenerated, he is called to live according to the laws and principles that underlie the new kingdom. He may, then, find himself trying to live a heavenly life after an earthly pattern—and this is what Paul called "carnal" living. That is why it is vitally important to move up into the life of the Spirit of God. Give up your earthly "treasures," and the Lord will keep them for you unto life eternal!


Christ turned from the fallen world of Adam and spoke about another world altogether, a world where Adam's philosophy is invalid and his technique inoperative.



Lord, make the lure of that which I cannot keep pale in the light of that which I will never lose.

From Devotions By Dr. Tozer

Don, thank you for today's devotional.  The closing prayer by Dr. Tozer is very apt.   

Great thoughts, Don!

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Very good devotional, Don!

Hi everyone.  The morning is starting out cloudy and dreary looking but the forecast has been changed to only a 51% chance of slight participation two or three times during the day.  We ate at Arby's yesterday after church and later in the afternoon I finished up our taxes for last year.  I had e-filed them and in sorting some files in my desk I found another 1099 for some savings bonds I had cashed earlier last year.  So I went ahead and prepared an amended return but the instructions say to wait until after the small refund we are do is received as often the IRS will pick up the omission and deduct the additional tax due.  However, if needed I have the form ready to mail in.  Today I plan on attending a meeting and then Pat and I may go to Aldi's while we are over in that area.  I also have a couple of projects in mind to do here at the house.  Otherwise it should be a relatively quiet day.

Happy Monday, which means back to the usual routine.  We have been to the gym and had a good workout, now home to begin whatever tasks are needing done.  I made a small list earlier, so just need to stay on track.

We enjoyed being with friends at our Connections Group meeting last night.  It's about the only fellowship time with others from our church that we have, since the congregation has outgrown the building, and the former fellowship hall is now used for children's activities, so we seldom have3 a meal together or other things including a lot of people.  This should change when we get to move into the building that was donated to us.

It seems to be a fine day here, partly cloudy and not too cool.

Janet:  That will be so nice when your group has a building.  It means so much to gather and keep up with each other.  I am missing my Wed. women's bible study at home and I wanted them to put it on podcast like they do with the sermon.  Why not?  There are so many women who can't always come.  Anyway, I will keep asking when I get back.

Just cutting some fabric for a little gift giving and wouldn't you know?  I had to make a mistake - but all is well.  That is why I buy extra fabric.     No time to sew here - I am not even going to say who is coming this week. 

Don had a nice chat with the VA and now has a certain person he will meet with whenever in AZ.  The only way they cauterize a nosebleed anymore is if he goes to the ER.  I suppose lawyers and lawsuits have changed that too. 

I made a cheese and Keibalsa sausage soup yesterday and blended it so it will be ready for tonight's meal too.  The crock pot is doing overtime here and I stick it on the patio to keep the kitchen cooler. 

Have a blessed night's sleep everyone.   

Hi, friends,

It's been a relatively busy day with the housekeeper here and then out to a meeting and some shopping at Walgreens.

Now, it's REALLY good to be here with all of y'all.

Have a wonderful evening with our Lord.

Ruth Ann

Hi everyone.  It is clear and sunny morning here and it is suppose to get up to 75 degrees this afternoon.  At eleven this morning Pat and I will attend our first meeting of the seniors group at the Church we are attending. There will be a meal and then a program with a Patsy Cline impersonator.  I am looking forward to the day.  We also have to make a stop at the post office to mail a package and then a stop at the library to return items that are due today.

The yard people are here this morning. I think starting next month they will be here every week to mow and to trim throughout the growing season.  They put down new pine straw here yesterday around our bushes and trees.  Apparently this is done a week or so before the Master's Golf Tourney. 

Janet, your church is fortunate to have a building donated to it that will allow you to have fellowship activities including eating. 

Carol, an interesting idea about doing the Podcast of your Bible study.  That could probably be done very easily with software on a smart phone as it would create an MP3 or MP4 file.  Your "mistake" in cutting your fabric gives you more scraps to use in other projects.  My wife doesn't through any material away except very small scraps.  Currently she on a project to "debone" men's shirts and even found some at the thrift store here plus some I had discarded for a frayed collar or some other reason.  I had never heard the term deboning before but it simply means reclaiming as much of the shirt fabric as possible for use elsewhere.  Glad Don could get established with a VA doctor that he likes.  Is he going to have the cauterization done?

Ruth Ann, it sounds like you had plenty on your schdule yesterday.  Always good to see your posting. 

Good morning!  It is rather cloudy here this morning, and I even heard a few drops of rain hitting the air conditioner outside the window.  It would be so nice were we to get some rain!

Larry, thanks for the explanation of the term "deboning".  My thought on first seeing that was that Pat was taking the stays or 'bones' out of the collars of the shirts, and I wondered what she was planning to use those for, but see she is to use the fabric of the shirts!    In our painting class some time ago, we made aprons from men's shirts that were rather cute.  I remember when I was a kid (many moons ago!) that Mom always had us cut all the buttons off a garment before it was put into the rag bag.  I have her button box still.  When I was little, it was a real treat when she would allow me to play with those buttons, and I was careful not to lose a one!  Memories! 

We will go to the gym shortly, and then I have several tasks planned for the day, including continuing to get rid of excess stuff from this house.  The kitchen and living room are done and today I plan to tackle the laundry room.  It feels SO much better when the clutter of too much "stuff" goes away! 

I wish each of you a blessed day with our wonderful Lord!

Janet I still save buttons that way.  However John was asked to make wooden buttons for a friend's crochet project, 2"buttons that turned out beautifully.  I am knitting a sweater for myself and he will be asked again to make buttons.  This time about an inch.  Can't wait to see what he makes of that challenge.

Yesterday I was at a women's Bible study and the subject was the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment.  Imagining how she would feel being found out.  We went into Old Testament law to find the  reason for her "shame".  It was very interesting. 

Well I am off we are measuring for renovations and hope to start soon on them.

Judy, I remember that John was making buttons.  I would love to see some of his creations!  I still love buttons, and have lots of them around. 

 

Hello everyone, I had to go to the Chiropractor this morning, I had  a terrible pain in my neck and shoulder, He fixed me up and told me to baby it and use ice for about a week. Back to doing just legs at the gym for a while maybe this adjustment will hold, I sure hope so.

I'm starting the dogs on an Holistic food from the Health food store,, with only 6% fat which will be good for Bebe. The Vet said to keep iot under 10% and this is the only kind I could find under that amount. It is called Holistic Blendz from  the Solid Gold pet food company.

We had a buyer for Keith's office last week who made a low offer, tour relator counter with a higher offer and they reneged on the sale. Oh well someone else will come along.

Marilyn:  Great that the chiropractor was able to help your shoulder pain. 

Larry:  There is a group in CO calling themselves the "Scrap Happy Club".  I have collected buttons forever - cutting them off before discarding if something was too awful to donate.  Sometimes they come in handy.

JudyB:  What did you learn about the woman's shame in your study?

Hi everyone on an overcast morning but with the prospects of getting to 77 degrees today.  Today we may make our first trip to Aldi's since moving here.  Also this evening is the Wednesday night dinner at church and the Bible study with the pastor.  Our son was here yesterday morning to do a few projects and plans to be back late this afternoon to do a few more.  We had a very enjoyable time at the Senior luncheon yesterday at church.  The meal was Italian themed and delicious.  The program was s lady who sang a number of songs by Patsy Cline wearing a costume like Patsy Cline wore.  She had a wonderful voice and did a very nice program. 

Janet, my mother also had a button box and I think Pat has the same thing, which should be added to quite a bit with the shirts she is taking apart.  With the cost of buttons today that is a nice thing to have.  We are also enjoying our "uncluttered" home.

Judy, John must be quite a craftsman to be able to make buttons. 

Marilyn, no fun in terrible neck and shoulder pain.  Hope it stays at bay after your treatment yesterday. Too bad about the sale of Keith's office. 

Carol, the "Scrap Happy Club" sounds like something Pat would like. 

Good morning!  I am still on the green side of the grass!   It is nearly time to go to lunch if we are going to the Sr. Ctr. but I wanted to stop in and greet you before I go!

I shall return!

Here's my girl (Joy) sporting a new haircut, with a good friend from her church.  Still smiling!

WHEE!  Above freezing!!! 

The snow piles are melting slowly - which is good, in order to avoid flooding.  But we may be getting some heavy rain tonight and tomorrow morning, which might bring some trouble, especially for the lower parts of town.

Janet, I don't know what you mean by "the green side of grass" but it sounds good.   

Jane, what a great photo of Joy.  Thanks for sharing it with us.   

Jane, Joy looks wonderful!  Praise God, Who is still in the healing business!

Jeanne---think about it---the roots of grass are not green!       So I am still above ground! 

I had hard workouts both yesterday and today.  Yesterday I did a mile on the treadmill in 15 minutes, at a grade of 1 1/2%, followed by a lot of weight work, lunges, etc; then today a mile on treadmill at 4 MPH and at a 3% grade, followed by 27 sets of abdominal stuff.  And now, when I stand up to walk, I'm going Ow!  Ow!  Ow! with every step!  And tomorrow she wants me to do some hard intervals.....   I surely am thankful I'm healthy and strong for my age!

After lunch I went to read to Beth, but didn't stay long because they came to take her for Bingo.  So I've had a nice little nap instead!  Not intentional, though.   

Our Kansas wind is showing its strength again today.  Ugh.  But it is nice and warm, at least.

Son in Law Jeff is in their community theater play on Saturday night, so we will go to support him.  He's quite a ham, and really enjoys acting.

I don't have much of interest to say, so I won't say it! 

Janet, thanks for that explanation.  It makes sense and I'm sure glad you're green!   

         Any day on the green side of the grass is a good day!

Hi, friends,

I had never heard the "green side of the grass" comment before. Thankfully, we're all still on the green side.

I took my sister in law to Captain Ds seafood restaurant for lunch, and we both enjoyed it. Then, we stopped by the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions before going back to our apartments.

Now, my eyes are watering from all the pollen floating around in the air. We're supposed to get rains tomorrow, so maybe they will reduce the pollen levels considerably. The daffodils are beginning to bloom, and I see buds on the Japanese cherry trees.

It was so good to hear from each of you. I am fearful of pointing out friends by name, for I may offend someone by forgetting to mention them. Just know that I love each of you, and that your lives and those of your loved ones and pets are very important to me.

May God richly bless you today.

Ruth Ann

Hi everyone.  It is another overcast morning with the possibility of rain.  I plan on staying home today as yesterday really wore me out.  We went to Aldi's for the first time since we had moved.  It isn't a big store but was exhausted when we got to the car.  Then our son was over for a brief time and did a couple of small jobs but had to go back home as his wife called saying the cat had gotten out of the house.  He plans on coming back this morning to finish up the odd jobs where we need his help.  We had a great dinner last night at the church before the Bible study with the minister. 

Jane, I must say Joy has a very beautiful smile.

Jeanne, hope your town escapes any flooding with the expected rain and melting. 

Janet, you are fortunate to be able to do all of that workout at the gym.  A nap isn't a bad thing you know whether intentional or not.  Agree with you about being on the green side of the grass. 

Ruth Ann, so ar I haven't seen any of the yellowish pollen we had from the trees in the Atlanta area.  However, it may be too early for that. 

Thank you for the kind remarks about Joy ... I have posted more in the Prayer and Praise folder, but here is the email message I received from her today:

I'm needing to call you today, but I have several calls and appointments going on today. We have applied and have been accepted to The Cancer Treatment Centers of America. They are flying John and me out to their Illinois center on Monday for a three to five day evaluation. They may start their treatment right away and that means I would stay.

I have been ready to start chemo for several times already and each time something happens that it could not be started, maybe the CTCA will find another result... They are very nice people over the phone and they pay our way and accommodations and food.  I'm excited. Their whole focus is on my quality of life. So I will be out of state for your fiftieth birthday and maybe Dot's graduation too...but I need to get whole.

The Hummingbirds are emptying their nectar so fast and even a Flicker hangs on the side every day.  We had lunch for Minnesota relatives yesterday and he is looking weaker this year after more surgery on his Korea bullet damage years ago.  Many many surgeries.  Now, Don is taping the edges in our bedroom as we need to finish our painting and this afternoon is the 2nd class on the iPhone that we can use mid-April. 

Our good friend here has company arriving and departing the same days now - this is the best weather time so everyone wants to be able to sit outdoors.  Can't blame them. 

Jane:  We pray for the best for Joy. 

I had another tough workout this morning--intervals.  20 seconds running as hard as I could, then 20 seconds moving slowly to recover, for a total of 20 minutes.  My heart rate got up to 160 BPM, but the profile from the watch I was using showed a really good profile for the workout.  I know I'm very blessed to have excellent health at this stage of my life, and I thank God for it almost every day.     My back hurt so much last night I didn't get a lot of sleep, and got up at 4:30 to take Ibuprofen, then stayed up.  So another nap might sneak up on me today!    And yes, it is okay.

I just cannot imagine what could have made that young German pilot deliberately fly that plane into a mountain, murdering 149 people besides killing himself.  Nor can I understand how he got that job with only 600 flight hours' experience!  What incredible evil there is in the world today. 

But I am so glad God is still in control of all things.  Someday we will understand all of this.

Time to go do more de-cluttering, as I haven't done any yet today.  I'm determined to keep plugging away at it!

Blessings to each of you today!

Hello, friends,

I've had a quiet day today. The temps have dropped more than 20 degrees from the 60 degree morning reading. Now the temps are heading still downward. And we have a freeze watch for this weekend. Ah, the joys and trials of springtime weather.

Y'all have a wonderful rest of the day.

Ruth Ann

Hi everyone.  I got up to some rain and now it has started again with a pretty heavy downpour.  However, according to the forecast there will be another shower around noon and then it is just to be overcast.  I think I will make a quick trip to Walmart later today for a couple of items and that should be the main activity for today.  I hope to have a little more energy today than yesterday.  I did enjoy the basketball games last evening and look forward to more of them this evening. 

Jane, glad Joy was accepted into the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. 

Carol, hope you and Don got that bedroom painted yesterday.  It sounds like you are going to have to go back to Colorado to rest as you have had a busy winter there in Arizona.

Janet, that did sounds like a tough workout. Does the exercise contribute to your severe back pain?  I don't think there can be any rational explanation to that German co-pilot crashing the plane. 

Ruth Ann, I see we are going to have falling temps with it getting down to 36 at night in a couple of days. 

Larry:  I have thoughts of resting when we return but know that we are expected to partake in a few things and two meetings are at our house so we can't take naps when people are visiting, can we?  It is alright as Janet says that we are grateful to have the energy to do these things.  We did finish painting & it is now fresh all through the house except two closets which I believe we will wait until next year to tackle.  Enough.

Holy week is approaching.  I really want to get to several services. 

All basketball playoff hype around here as the Arizona Wildcats made it to the final 8.  We have windows open all the time now and it is getting hot outside but the trees and shrubs seem to keep this place cool so far. 

Hi, friends, it's really been a busy day today. I was in the car awaiting my rider at 7:50. After the doctor, she had several errands, some of which involved my going in to the establishment and purchasing what she needed (with her money). This was stressful, for she has a tendency to complain if things don't exactly suit her.

We got home about 2pm, and I put on my lounging clothes and rested until time for a call I was expecting on Skype. During that call, someone knocked on my door - so I asked the caller to hold a moment and when I got to the door it was the lady I had helped. She had left her cell phone in my car, she thought, so would I please re-dress and go find it. After finishing my call, I prepared to go back outside, including having my winter coat on, when another knock came on my door. It was someone from the apartment office telling me that the phone had been discovered at the bank, and returned to the apartment tower 1/2 block away.

So, I ended up going there, retrieving the phone, then getting it to my passenger.

Etc. There's more, but this should illustrate that life was very busy for me today. Whew!

Now, I'm relaxing in my apartment and hope no more emergencies occur tonight. 

We're to awaken with temps in the upper 20's tomorrow. Brrrrr - where did spring go???

Oh, well, y'all have a wonderful evening.

Ruth Ann

Carol, as you are so busy with guests and other things, please don't forget to take care of yourself! 

Ruth Ann, that's sad, that your passenger is a complainer and expects more from you than you are really physically able to give.  God taught me a lesson just yesterday about the effects of being a complainer, on those who have to listen to the complaining!  This was from someone near to me, who we invited and took to Jeff's play last night.  Ack!  So part of my prayer this morning was, "Lord, help me not to be a complainer!"

We are leaving soon for Amarillo, so see you all in a day or two!  Stay safe and be blessed.

Hi everyone on a most beautiful day filled with sunshine and no clouds.  It is going to be cooler today and tonight it is predicted to go down to 34 degrees.  Sure hope it doesn't freeze.  I did make a trip to Walmart yesterday morning and even though I rode the electric cart I came home very tired, which sort of did me in for the rest of the day.  There is nothing on the schedule for today so will just take it easy and work on projects here at my desk. 

Janet, hope your trip to Amarillo went well this weekend.  Little is ever gained by complaining and the person listening sure doesn't enjoy it. 

Ruth Ann, it sounds like the lady you help is beginning to take you for granted, which is never good, as the person helping soon becomes resentful of being taken advantage of . 

Carol, your comment about not taking naps when you have visitors caught my eye.  As Pat and Paul can verify, I am not hesistant to go rest for an hour or so when we have company unless they are only going to be there for a couple of hours or so.  Both Pat and Paul also enjoyed a nice snooze time when I went an laid down.  You can always close the closet doors and not see that the paint isn't fresh.  It is nice to be able to have the windows open. 

Where indeed did spring get to. We woke up to minus 21C which is about minus 5F. A bit chilly i say. Even the dogs didn't want to stay out very long this morning. But having said that, the snow is on a slow melt which is good. With the amount of snow we got this year, if it was warmer and a fast melt, we would be having some problems. I always enjoyed the spring of the year when I  was driving to the south. I would see spring start in Georgia and the Carolina's. Then over a period of a couple of months I would witness it moving north till it finally arrived at home. It is a toss up with me as to whether I like spring or fall the best. Spring brings on the new life, with everything getting green and the flowers coming up for another year. A reminder of the new life that we have when we accept Christ as our Saviour. The fall brings on Gods artistic side with the collage of colours that we see in our forests. The colours were particularly vibrant this past year up here. So we are in the new life season, and Easter one week away. The time to reflect on the ultimate price that Christ paid for our salvation. Learned an interesting concept about salvation last Sunday. We call it personal salvation when we accept Christ, but it is very much a community thing. When we receive Christ as Saviour, we come into the family of God which is a community setting. So although it has a personal side, it is also a community thing. we are to live within the community and share. not remain loners and keep to ourselves. We are to share the great news to the world. Thats community. Just sayin Blessings everyone John.

Hi, friends,

I've had lunch with friends, been to Walmart to replenish my cupboard, and then bought gas. Now, to get things put away.

It's great to be able to take an afternoon nap. I enjoy them.

Below zero is mighty cold, John.

Hi, Janet and Carol.

Y'all have a good rest of the day.

Ruth Ann

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