Memorial services

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.(Eccl 3:1)

God's timepiece is precise, and does everything His way,

And we cannot change a thing no matter what you say.

Each item has its time in God's master plan on earth,

Let us learn this lesson now for all its intrinsic worth.(RP)

We had a memorial service Wednesday of this week for a dear friend, and today we attend one for another.  And just two days ago another friend of ours died.  We are reminded of the relative shortness of life.  How great to be ready to meet the Lord.  I have been doing more writing lately of our years on the road and the interesting things that happened while representing Shepherds Home.  We trust you all have a great day and thanks for your prayers,

No class today

To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.Acts 10:43

The prophets spoke of Jesus so many years ago,

Many folks may be bewildered because this fact they did not know.

Oh how great to read the Bible for it tells of redemption's gift

Jesus paid sin's price that will give to all who receive it a lift.(RP)

The Ferndale Senior Center is closed today so there will be no Bible class as usual.  We will use the time to so other things.  Margie will have her hair done this morning.  Yesterday we had a nice time with our son and his family.  We returned early but it was dark when we arrived home.  It was nice being with family on Thanksgiving.  We trust you had a great day also.  Thanks for praying.

Happy Thanksgiving

Psalm 5:3 

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.

On this Thanksgiving morning, we raise our voices to God,

Giving Him glory for all the blessings in the universe so broad.

I pray He has heard your voice today telling Him all your heart,

That's a wonderful thing to do and a great way your day to start.(RP)

We hope and pray all of you will have a great day filled with blessings as you fellowship with family and friends.  We hope to do this with our family.  Yesterday's memorial service was a blessing to all.  Al Pulling made it easy for us to have his service.  His family is delightful. It is a beautiful day and the weatherman is advising those east of the mountains to return Saturday because of MUCH snow forecast for the mountains on Sunday.  We are glad we are not traveling that way. Thanks so much for your prayer support.  Mr brother Ernie had his second eye cataract surgery this week and all went well. Thanks for praying.

Memorial service

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life inn Christ Jesus our Lord.  

Romans 6:23

Sin has a price tag that is awful indeed,

And those who ignore it are in desperate need.

God provided forgiveness through Jesus His son,

And when you receive it, the battle is done.(RP)

Looks like the blog page for yesterday was messed up. I'll see if I can get it straightened out. Today we conduct a memorial service for Al Pulling, a long-time friend.  We (Margie) is baking, in preparation for tomorrow and all the Thanksgiving activities.  Thanks for praying. 

Town

Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.1 Th 5:21-22

God's commands to us in small packages come so we can readily learn,

What He wants us to do as we live for Him and easily life challenges discern.

Let us hold to good things He has taught, and faithfully do them each day,

bstaining from evil, in every form, and by doing this receive His okay.(RP)

We have to go into town this morning to get some things in preparation for Thanksgiving.  This afternoon we will visit the Pulling family.  Their second son arrives today from California.  There is always plenty to do.  We are pleased my brother in Singapore had successful cataract surgery.  He will have another on Thursday.  Thanks so much for praying 

Notice

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 89:1

Even though we may not sing, our hearts sing praises to Him,

He is near us all the time and with Him hope never grows dim.

We pledge to speak to others of His wonderful grace to us,

And be ready always this very important issue to discuss.(RP)

Yesterday in Singapore my brother had cataract surgery.  According to Siang, it was successful.  We are grateful for answered prayer.  Yesterday also here in Bellingham, our dear friend Al Pulling, breathed his last breath on earth and went to his heavenly home.  Margie & I were there soon after to minister to the family. Thanks so much for praying. 

The Lord's Day

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:14 

Three components named right here are blessings believers enjoy,

Every believer in Jesus Christ has something nothing will destroy.

It is a comfort to have Jesus, God's love and Holy Spirit within,

If you don't have this treasure, my friend, I urge you to begin.

Receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, and have all your sins forgiven,

You'll never regret what He does for you, and all that He has given.

(RP)

Sunday is here and it's time to go to church.  We trust you will be at your favorite place of worship. This is a blessing that not all enjoy so we trust you take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.  We had a quick visitd from our grandson, Nathan, last night.  How nice to see him for those moments.  Margie has been fighting a cold but seems to be much better today and we are glad.  Thanks so much for praying.

IT WENT WELL

Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 

Corinthians 10:31 

What a wonderful lesson Paul gives us today in this very pithy verse,

But I'm glad it's here in God's Word; It's teaching is practical and terse.

So why not start today, my friend, doing all for the glory of God,

nd do it gladly from the heart, without having to receive a prod.(RP)

We are happy the Bible class went well yesterday.  Some were missing due to health issues but we still had all the tables filled. There is no class next week due to Thanksgiving.  We did shopping at one grocery store on the way home and picked up Margie's medicine also.  I spent the afternoon doing advance study for the class and also writing more stories for future book (some day).  We hope to do some "charity" cooking today to distribute later. Thanks for praying.  

Let's study

1 Corinthians 2:9

But as it is written: eye has not seen,nor ear heard,nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

No mortal on earth can ever describe all the wonders found in God's home,

Travel the globe and go everywhere, you'll not find it wherever you roam.

God has prepared us a wonderful place that no one down here can relate,

Try once or twice but the truth will come out, our description won't carry much weight.(RP)

Come join us today in our study of Philippians.  We have a good group and they participate in the study which I appreciate. Margie's cold is better today so she plan on joining me.  She is the "secretary" and takes attendance.  It is quite cold today.  I put out the garbage and I knew it was winter as soon as I opened the door.  Thanks for praying.

Now a cold

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 

Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

When we begin to pray, as Paul commands us do, 

Then we will see for sure, that what he said is true.

This attitude is good; it prepares us for everything,

Give thanks in everything, knowing it is God's will,

For doing this God's way, always brings a thrill.(RP) 

Yesterday we reported it was cold.  Today we are reporting that Margie has a cold.  What a difference.  We visited some who are confined and can't get out.  It was very cold.  I hope that trip didn't get Margie started on this cold.  Who knows?  I have canceled her hair appointment and will probably ask someone to direct the afternoon prayer meeting at our church today.  Thanks for praying.

Cold

He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45b

The love of God is ever great, He pours it out to all mankind,

To every person on this earth, to the good and bad combined.

The sun comes up and then goes down and all receive its rays,

The rain He sends on all the world, His goodness to all He displays.

The undeserving receive from Him what many would deny,

And with each blessing the message is strong, your need He will supply.(RP)

It's 27 degrees F. in Ferndale.  It will warm up, then get colder tonight.  We have plenty to do.  I work up the material for the prayer list, and in the afternoon we will visit some folks who are in rest homes are the Hospice House.  Yesterday I did some writing which I enjoy.  Thanks for praying.

Reviews

Mark 10:27 

But Jesus looked at them and said, With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.

We mortals are limited in what we can do, it's God who does all things,

And because He does, we are blessed indeed and joy to us He brings.

Our God is miracle working God, who is ready to save lost souls,

He cleanses from sin and gives new life, and every fear controls.(RP)

We are pleased with the reviews our friends are registering on the websites where they purchase our book.  We have encourage this because it helps those who may be interested in the book.  As usual, we much to do today. I will be mailing our book to a dear missionary colleague with  whom we worked in the Amazon.  At 91 years, she is looking forward to reading it.   Thanks dear ones for praying.  We appreciate it. 

Catch up

Matthew 13:58   

Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.   

Could it be that in our busy lives, we miss important things,

We leave God out of daily plans and look at the grief it brings.

Let's look to the Lord with believing faith, and see what He will do,

To help us daily with all our need, and carry us safely through.(RP)

Monday is a good day to get caught up in some of the things we need to finish, etc.  Today I will be ordering more books for those we promised to get for people.  We are not getting many, because Amazon.com stopped giving us free shipping.  I guess they thought I had purchased too many for that added bonus to continue.  We had a nice day yesterday with our son and another guest for lunch after church.  We are praying much for our friend Jerry W. who is having surgery this morning for colon cancer.  Thanks so much for praying. 

Delight

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Ps 84:10

Service is important for all of us and each of us must decide,

Would you rather be busy for God, and in His presence abide?

A day in the court of the Lord is the best; a great decision is this,

No better decision can be made today; it's the best one that exists.(RP)

Yesterday we engaged in our usual Saturday activities.  I stuffed green peppers and distributed them to those who are less fortunate than we are. Our son also called saying he would like to come to Ferndale and spend the weekend.  We were delighted.  It has been a joy to have him here.  Today we will enjoy a meal together, then he will return home.  He soon will have shoulder surgery.  Last night Harold, my brother, Skyped us and we had a nice visit.  We enjoy our family.  Thanks for praying. 

A long day

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Rom 8:26  

We are so weak when it comes to prayer, God certainly knows it is so,

He promises help in an amazing way and I trust you will learn it and grow.

When desperately seeking to form our words as we pray to our Father above,

The Spirit intercedes with His own words and this is because of his love.(RP)

I know that a day can't really be "long" because it has just so many hours in it.  But yesterday we had a full day that seemed to make it l-o-n-g.  After our Bible study we had lunch with Margie's siblings. It was a very nice time.  We visited a man who is in the Hospice House and prayed with him.  Then we went over to see another good friend in a rest home.  We also had to do a little shopping before going home.  So it turned out to be a long day for us.  It was raining very hard all day so raincoats were in order and we were glad for them.  Thanks friends, for praying. 

Philippians

Luke 19:10 

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

We have a seeking Savior, who came to seek the lost,

And we read in the Holy Bible how much this process cost.

How wonderful to see Him in all his marvelous grace,

Reaching out to all the nations, every culture and every race.

We praise Him now and forever for His salvation great,

And with patience prayer and gladness for His second coming wait.(RP)

We always look forward to the class each Friday at the Ferndale Senior Center.  Last week was book distribution and we signed almost 25 copies.  One lady read it this week and phoned us to tell us how much she appreciated it.   But our main focus is the study of the Bible and we enjoy it.  Our members are so enthusiastic about it and participate wonderfully in the discussions as they answer the questions on our study sheet.  We have a full day planned, and we will tell youk more abouit it tomorrow.   Thanks for praying. 

More of the same

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 

1 Corinthians 6:19 

Just think our body is God's temple, how precious is that thought,

And we can know for certain, that for a price we were bought.

We are really not our own, Jesus is Lord of our lives,

And thank God we are not alone, He is the one who drives.(RP)

Most Thursdays are hair days for Margie.  I will take her there at 10 and pick her up an hour later.  Today is prayer meeting also and we look forward to that.  We finished mailing the books except one that I will do this morning.  We always spend time each day doing more studies for the Friday bible class.  Thanks for your prayers,

Wash day

The LORD is my light and my salvation;Whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the strength of my life;  Of whom shall I be afraid?Psalm 27:1

From darkness the Lord saved us and gave us strong hope,

And strength for each day over things we have to cope.

We need not fear with such help at our side,

So stick close to the Savior and with Him always abide.(RP)

Wednesday is wash day.  I do this because it is hard for Margie to go up and down the steps into the garage where the machine is located.   She folds the clothes and now she is able to iron.  Before I did all of the above.  She is much better than before and we praise the Lord for her improvement.  We plan on visiting today as well. Thanks for praying. 

Post Office

Ephesians 1:7

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. 

God's grace is sufficient and redeems all who come to Him,

He gives unspeakable joy, and fills their cup to the brim.

Redemption is through His blood, and forgiveness is very real,

He helps you every day to cope; for you lit is a good deal.

This He does to all who come; it's because of His great grace,

And for the rest of your days He'll do it, until you see His face. (RP)

A trip to the post office today will mean sending more of our books to different places.  Yesterday the office was closed so we didn't get it done.  We were in town yesterday for Margies eye specialist.  He gave a good report.  There is no more sign of blood (in the wrong place) in her right eye.  He chose to give another injection in that eye, however to prevent further complications.  We are pleased. But the eye is sore, Margie said.  That's the first time it has ached like this.  Thanks so much for praying. 

Eyes

Psalm 31:14-15 

But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD. I say, You are my God. My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me.

Declaring our trust in the Lord and our allegiance to Him is a must,

And for those who faithfully do, are really the ones who are just.

What a blessed thought is this, that our times are in His hands,

With our hearts centered on Him, all the negatives in life we'll withstand(RP)

Margie has her next check-up this morning to see how her eyes are responding to medication, etc.  We always pray it will be a good report. We'll tell about it in tomorrow's blog.  We have some shopping to do also while we are in town.  We had a leisurely day yesterday.  We thank you for your prayers, 

Worship

1 Corinthians 2:14

 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Those without Christ don't understand His ways,

Watching the Christian who reads His word and prays.

They think it all foolishness; they just don't understand,

They don't have God's Spirit; they can't know firsthand.

But when they invite Jesus into their lives,

Their understanding changes and hope arrives.(RP)

We look forward to going to church where we study the Bible in the Sunday School.  Then during the worship service we have opportunity to see our friends and meet new ones and study the Bible some more.  Last Sunday was book signing day for us, but today we just enjoy our time there.  We are looking forward to a leisurely afternoon.  Thanks, dear friends, for praying. 

Memorial service

Romans 1:16 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes...

Why be ashamed of something so strong: salvation for sinners today,

We proclaim this good news, and urge all to obey,and this without delay. 

God saves souls all the time, making them sure of their heavenly home,

Giving them hope in a sinful world that with Him they need not roam. (RP)

Today we attend and take part in the memorial service for Charlotte Hicks, a dear friend of many years.  Yesterday at our Bible class we signed quite a few books for those who purchased them.  Our class was well attended and the discussion so beneficial.  We are pleased with the class participation.  Our dear friend Al Pulling was taken to Hospice House yesterday.  It was impossible for his elderly wife to care for him any longer.  Please pray for both of these families and thank you for praying always for us. 

Bible class

Jer 29:1 

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Oh what a blessing contained in these words written so long ago,

To read that our Lord is thinking of us is something we need to know.

His desire for us is peace indeed and for sure no evil for us,

He desires a future filled with hope and that certainly is a plus.

He exhorts us to call upon Him in prayer and He promises a listening ear,

And all who truly call upon Him, yes, He will gladly hear.(RP)

We will be taking books to the class this morning. Several have asked for them.  We are pleased about this.  Our class is well attended and the members participate in the discussions and study.  We look forward to it each week.  The last order of books arrived yesterday and we will be mailing quite a few in the next couple of days.   Thanks so much for praying.

Appreciation

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:1

God expects us to present our bodies to Him no matter where we are,

Don't let the foolish deceive you, this is really not something bizarre.

A living sacrifice is special indeed, as we consciously give Him our all,

So with Him in control how wonderful it is to just go where he gently will call.

The reasonable thing in the Christian life, is letting God take over my life,

And serving Him this way is the way to go, on a road that has much less strife.(RP)

We appreciate the folks who are emailing or calling us about our book.  We were pleased to hear from Brazil.  What a joy to have João comment on our blog as also Pat Conelly.  Glen called us from San Jose, CA to remark about it and we have had many others send words of encouragement.  One lady recently purchased a copy and had me sign it.  She will use it for part of her family devotions. Each story in the book carries a spiritual application.  We are pleased and thank each of you for your prayer support. 

Wash day

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.

Ps 25:5

For what do you ask when you talk to God in your private place of prayer?

Do you ask Him to lead and teach you His truth as you come to Him with your care?

He's the God of our salvation and we need to wait on Him and do it without delay.

And if you have delayed too long and neglected this truth, my friend, begin anew today.(RP)

Wednesday is wash day at our house.  To help Margie I do this for her.  That keeps her from walking up and down the steps into the garage.  That exercise is painful for her.  I will also work on the weekly prayer sheet for the church and continue on with misc. tasks with our book.  We thank you for praying.

Missionary meeting

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

The Lord did not promise skies always blue as we travel here below,

But one thing is sure as we walk with Him, rich blessings from Him will flow.

The suffering we experience as we travel the road, is only for just awhile,

In heaven some day when we meet the Lord how, wonderful to have His smile.(RP)

This morning we will be getting prepared for the next shipment of books.  More mailings are necessary.  We are already hearing from those who have received theirs.  This afternoon we attend the monthly missionary meeting at the church where once again I will say a few words about our book.  We have appreciated so much the comments left on our blog and through email about what the book means to them.  Also we are grateful to those who leave a "review" on the websites of the stores that sell our book  This helps us in advertising the book.  Thanks so much for your prayers. 

Overwhelmed

Mt 18:20  

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

The joy of worship for believers in Christ is truly a wonderful thing,

We meet together for fellowship sweet and to honor the Lord as we sing.

Prayers to Him are heard, He says, because we're there in His name.

So country, race or speech matters not, to Him it's all the same.

We were overwhelmed yesterday with the great response to the book signing process in our home church.  It was very thoughtful of the church to do this for us and we appreciate it greatly. Adding to the delights of the day was our family who attended church and then treated us to a meal later.  What a special day.  We will never forget it.  Thanks for praying.

Book signing

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard thatJesus made and baptized more disciples than Johnthough Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples,He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.But He needed to go through Samaria.

John 4:1-4

Jesus walked in obedience to the Father, so to Samaria he NEEDED to go,

What a display of surrender was shown as He faithfully walked here below.

Are we living close to the Lord, desiring always to do His will?

I pray we all are. so the joy will be ours as we obediently His commands fulfill.(RP)

This is all new for us.  Today is our book-signing day and we are looking forward to this privilege given us by our home church. To make it more special our family will be there with us.  What a great day it will be.  Thanks so much for praying for us.  We appreciate it very much.  

Activities

In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.Ephesians 3:12

We have a Savior to whom we can go, when we want to talk to Him,

He never leaves us without hope, and way out on a limb.

Boldly we can speak to Him and tell Him all our woes,

Because He does not sleep or ever take a break to doze.

Thank God our confidence is in Him, we rely on Him each day,

And we are blessed to have His presence all along the way.(RP)

Today Margie will be doing some baking and I will do our Saturday morning special: make stuffed peppers.  We give most of them away to those who are not able to do much cooking.  In the afternoon we will attend, Lord willing, a 50th year celebration of a couple.  If there is time left over I will be addressing boxes in which to send more books to people on the list.  Thanks so much for praying.   

Teaching

Now godliness with contentment is great gain.For we brought nothing into this world,and it is certain we can carry nothing out.And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

I Timothy 6:6-8

Contentment comes from above as we give ourselves to God,

Those who have it really know it and if we don't that's really odd.

We were born possessing nothing and in death it will be the same,

If we blame this all on Jesus our excuse is really lame.

Let us learn dear fellow Christian with food and clothing to be content,

By doing so you'll learn that your time has been well spent.(RP)

This morning we will be teaching the class at the Ferndale Senior Center.  The study in Philippians is going well and the class is so receptive and involved in the discussions.  We are impressed.  This afternoon I will be addressing boxes and send as many as possible of our books before the weekend.  Thanks for your prayers.