Wednesday, November 30, 2016

KEEPING BUSY

2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Believers in Christ are to work for Him; because we love Him so,
There is much to do as we harvest, we want to help others grow.
God gives what we need as we do work for Him; this is His will, 
He promises us victory in service, as we faithfully His work fulfill.(RP)

Things get busy now and then. Have you noticed this? We have an accumulation of several responsibilities that must be taken care of. I just took care of one of them: our security system sent a message that our signal was not being received. We have corrected that. Today I work on the program for a memorial service next week, because our church is printing it and I have to get the format to the church office as soon as I can. Several other things are demanding our attention also.  We are glad the Lord knows our busy schedule and will help us. Thanks for praying.  

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

TOENAIL

1Jo 4:16 
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

The sweetest words in all the world are those that God loves us,
Imagine He loves even me, no matter all the confusion and fuss. (RP)

Margie has been to the foot doctor several times, wanting to have him remove her toenail which gives her unbelievable distress. Yesterday she had an appointment. They had an opening, and we went. Again the doctor saved the day for her by trimming the nail and explaining it did not have to be removed. He told her the recovery time after removing a nail is not pleasant. At any rate, Margie is happy to be pain free.  Thanks for your prayers,

Monday, November 28, 2016

LEISURELY AFTERNOON

Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.Matthew 5:8

I'm glad that Jesus knows each heart and does nothing slipshod,
And all whose hearts are pure indeed,He says they will see God.(RP)

After Sunday School and Church yesterday, we were glad to be home for a leisurely afternoon. We watched another sermon on TV, had a nice lunch, and spent the rest of the day reading, etc. There has been quite a bit of rain lately, so we are thankful for a nice dry house. We trust your day went well and today will be a repeat of that. Thanks for praying. 


Sunday, November 27, 2016

VISIT

Mt 22:42 saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David."

Christmas is over and I ask you today, "What do you think about Christ?"
To get into the spirit of Christmas Day, did you really have to be enticed?
Does Jesus mean more to you than anything? Does he have first place?
Or do you feel more comfortable when nothing is said about His grace?
Please  consider and invite Him into your life, and know the joy He gives,
In every heart where Jesus reigns, you know for sure that's where He lives.
Allow Him to control your entire life right now, by telling Him so as you pray,
The joy He gives is a fabulous thing, and in your life He will be on display.  (RP)

We received word from our friend Tom Knight yesterday that his mother-in-law, Joyce Pulling, died yesterday morning at 10:30.  In the afternoon Margie prepared a plate of goodies and we visited the Knights. Joyce was a long time friend and she was ready to meet the Lord. Her husband Al died 3 years ago. We will have the service later on when all the family can arrange to be here. Margie baked yesterday some delicious pecan bars and I stuffed 10 green peppers. Our son and his wife left yesterday. It was nice having them here overnight. We look forward to Sunday School and church this morning. Thanks for praying. 

Saturday, November 26, 2016

THANKSGIVING AGAIN

Titus 3:8
This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

This word is for those who have trusted Christ and their personal Savior is He,
Their job is good works done in Jesus name and to this we all agree.
We do this carefully as we trust the Lord and it is acknowledged by God to be good,
We profit by this in a special way as each one faithfully does what he should. (RP)

We had our second Thanksgiving yesterday. Our son and daughter-in-law, Rawlie and Gina arrived bringing some of the delicious food they prepared the day before for their outreach ministry in Stanwood. We sat down and enjoyed the meal with them last night then spent the evening visiting. What a nice time it was for us. This morning I am going with Rawlie and Gina for coffee at Starbucks, then return home and prepare stuffed green peppers. While I am doing this, Margie will be baking some bar cookies. It has been a long time since I did this, and finally we finished the last ones (peppers)  we had frozen. Thanks so much for your prayers. 

Friday, November 25, 2016

NO CLASS

Mark 12:30 
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, this is the first commandment.

Total commitment is God's rule; this principle we must always obey,
Half-hearted allegiance is not right, with God,we don't do it this way.
So we must love Him with all our heart; this is what He commands,
To do this with all our soul, mind and strength, He also demands. 
With God this is His first commandment; we must never do less,
And from this grand word, we never really want to digress.(RP)

We have no Bible study today because the Ferndale Senior Activity Center is closed. The next class is December 2.  We had a quiet day at home yesterday. I got a roasted chicken and Margie prepared sweet potatoes and another vegetable. It was a very windy and rainy day, so we were glad to be inside. We finished the day by listening to one of our favorite radio preachers, Adrian Rogers. We trust you all had a good day. Thanks for praying. 

Thursday, November 24, 2016

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Ps 100 A Psalm of Thanksgiving. Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

It is our prayer that each of you has a wonderful day and we will all give thanks to God for all His blessings to us. We are spending a quiet day at home. We are so thankful for each of you our friends and family. Thanks for praying.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

MISTAKE

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.Ephesians 1:11

In a topsy turvy world it's refreshing to read this verse,
We serve a God who is in control in a world that is so perverse.
Our inheritance through Christ is to those who believe,
And is a gift beyond words that brings peace to relieve.
We rejoice that our Savior never ceases to work.
And of all things he wills not one will He shirk. (RP)

You would think at my age, I could remember my brother's birthday. I did, but it was a day later than what I blogged about yesterday. TODAY is Harold's birthday. Sorry Harold for the goof.  Yesterday was my day to sit in the church office and be there in case someone wanted to talk.  I was pleased with the visit from a friend who was in our church but later moved south. It was good to visit.  Last night I had a meeting with the elders. I always get back home earlier so I can give Margie the special heart medication. Thanks for praying.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAROLD

Psalm 143:8
Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.

Lord help me read your Word each day and learn Your will for me,
And make my life so full of you,so others my Savior will see. (RP)

This is Harold Poulson's birthday. He is my brother and lives in Alaska. We are 10 years apart. He lives in Anchorage. Thankfully for Skype and phone, we visit often. We are so glad we can.  We wish Harold God's best on this his day. Yesterday Margie went to the doctor, a follow-up after her stay in the hospital. She got a couple of vaccinations also. Thanks for praying. 

Monday, November 21, 2016

GREAT DAY

James 4:17 
Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Most people know what they should do; for them it makes good sense,
Others however waver, because for them the pathway seems dense.
For those who do not do what seems best, there is trouble ahead,
God says it is sin, so for that person there is something to dread.
We should learn to lives God's way by paying attention to His Book,
Then we can live to please Him and know that the right way we took.(RP)

We had an enjoyable day at church yesterday. We were surprised by a visit of our grandson, David and his girl friend. They wanted to hear me preach. We took them for dinner after the service. We appreciated their visit very much. In the evening there was a Praise and Pie fellowship. The first hour we sang and gave Thanksgiving praises, then went to the fellowship hall for delicious pies and more fellowship. It was a fun day. We are so grateful Margie could attend. She even made a gluten free pecan pie for the evening. Thanks for praying. 

Sunday, November 20, 2016

THANKSGIVING SUNDAY

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and
thirsty land Where there is no water..
Psalm 63:1

When in the desert all by yourself how do you commune with God?
Do you sleep on more and take more rest, and continue with a nod?
King David teaches much today with this early morning act
He sought the Lord so early on before other things distract
His soul was thirsty for his God and his body felt it too,
So he called upon the Lord right there His refreshment to pursue.
Oh what consolation for us when we early seek the Lord,
Knowing very well we'll get it and great will be our reward. (RP)

Thanksgiving is Thursday but today in church we celebrate it by giving a message appropriate to the day.  I am honored to be asked to preach this morning at our church. Margie so far is adjusting well to the new medication to control her heart rhythm. We are pleased and rejoice she has had no more upsets. Thanks for helping us in prayer. It means very much to us. 

Saturday, November 19, 2016

EKG

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. Exodus 14:21

We never know how God will work as He leads His dear children along,
In our story today they were by the sea and there was a mighty throng.
In a miracle never seen, God divided the sea and His children walked over on dry land,
And his love and strong arm were seen by all as the One with the very strong hand.(RP)

Yesterday Margie had another EKG. This was a follow-up to her hospital stay. The technician is going to talk to the specialists about Margie's condition. The medication she is taking supposedly regulates the heart rhythm and gets it back to normal activity. For some reason Margie's rhythm is periodically erratic, thus the afib diagnosis.  Please pray the medication will do the trick for her instead of having to augment the present medication with others to accomplish this task. Thanks for praying. 

Friday, November 18, 2016

ANOTHER SCARE

1 Corinthians 3:7  So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

The harvest field is the world and souls are saved every day,
We are the laborers in this field, and we must our Master obey.
We give the lost God's Word, and preach, and work and pray,
Only God gives the increase, as we His great love display.
(RP)

We had another scare during the night. Margie awakened, or even before she had slept, and complained her heart was pounding. It was just like our two previous trips to emergency. I called the cardiologist unit and they called a Dr. Phillips, who instructed me to give her a TICOSYN capsule. I did and eventually she went to sleep. We go this afternoon for an EKG on her anyway, and I will explain what happened during the night. Please keep praying for her. We are concerned. Thanks for praying.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

ANXIOUS

Psalm 143:8
Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.
Lord help me read your Word each day
And learn Your will for me
And make my life so full of you so others my Savior will see. (RP)

For the women who have been in the hospital, you know why Margie is anxious to get to the hairdresser this morning. She said her hair is in a mess. It will be great to have that trip this morning to care for that project. We are trying to get caught up after our two episodes in the hospital.  I am getting things ready for the class tomorrow, and also preparing an outline of Sunday's message to insert in the bulletin. I will preach this Sunday. Thanks for praying. 

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

GOING WELL

Psalms 27:14   Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

It takes so much work to just wait, and that's why God orders it so,
Don't ever go ahead of the Lord so that he will have to say whoa!
Wait for the Lord, that strengthens you, and gives your heart new life,
And prepares you so well for God's joy today and keeps away added strife.

 (RP)

We are pleased that things are going well with Margie after her two trips to E.R. last week. She is taking the new medication and until now all seems to be going well. We received a call from a friend that his mother-in-law had a stroke. Margie and I went immediately to the hospital to pray with Tom and Sylvia Knight and her mother Joyce Pulling, who had the stroke. It was interesting to see how quickly the speech therapist was working with her to help her speech difficulties. Thanks for praying. 

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

STRICT DISCIPLINE

James 1:22 
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Deception is waiting for some right now; so listen to God's word,
You will be surprised when you hear something you've never heard.
It is never enough in God's sight to just listen to the word of God,
For His children something more is required to get from Him a nod.
God expects us to work for Him, and do always those things that please,
And then you will be a winner because your work for Him agrees. (RP)

After receiving instructions about how to take Margie's new medication, called TICOSYN, we messed up on it yesterday morning. Margie had an early appointment with her eye doctor. In the haste of trying to get to the next town for that appointment, we missed her medication schedule. I remembered it while Margie was in her exam. I asked the secretary to inform Margie I had gone home to get it. On my way back to Bellingham, I called the heart doctor to find out if this time we could give the medication later than usual.  He said we could. We were relieved. Now I have my smartphone set up to let us know and remind us this schedule every 12 hours. Thanks for praying. 


Monday, November 14, 2016

HOME AT LAST

Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart. For I am called by Your name,O LORD God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16

When you belong to the Lord, how the Word touches you!
The Word in the prophet like food made him new.
The joy and rejoicing of his heart was real.
And his love for the Lord he could not conceal. (RP)

We are home and I hope and pray it lasts.  After getting in the E.R. again Saturday night, they transferred Margie later to room 402 in the hospital. At 6:20 in the morning, her system returned to what they call "normal sinus rhythm", which means the A-fib was not acting up and things were looking good. The doctor said she could go home. This was good news. He facilitated the discharge papers and we were on our way. At home we literally slept most of the day in our chairs. Last night was the same. What a sleep. We are grateful. We leave within the hour because Margie has an appointment with the eye doctor. Thanks so much for your prayer support. 


Sunday, November 13, 2016

BACK TO E.R.

Romans 10:17 
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

It is by grace we are saved through faith; God tells us we get faith one way,
Faith come by hearing God's word which is forever with us us on display.
So we must get His word to the world, so all will hear His message plain,
And receive the faith that only God gives, so that lost salvation will gain. (RP)

We came home Saturday from the hospital after spending 6 days there, then by midnight last night (Saturday) we were back there. Margies A-Fib was back in play and her heart pounding. Her restless legs were giving her unbelievable pain with no relief. She decided we better get back to ER.  They ran the tests again and she did have A-Fib. X-rays were taken, and several other things. At 5:30 Margie was moved to the 4th floor and room right next to where she was all last week. The only drawback was that the room had two patients, so Margie shared with another lady. That's okay. By 6:20 this morning Margie heart rhythm normalized, called normal sinus rhythm, so she was allowed to go home. That's a process, but it went quicker than usual. We are glad to be home. But please pray that the 9 PM medication for heart will not cause any violent reaction. Thanks for praying. 

Saturday, November 12, 2016

HOME

And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. Lu 6:31

We yearn to be treated so well by all men,We expect it and go our way.
But Jesus remind us again and again, to receive we give back, and not sway. (RP)

We are back home. We took Margie to the E.R. Monday night and today she was discharged. She has a new medication which she will take the rest of her days to regulate and do what a pacemaker would normally do. We appreciate prayer for her. She has a-fib (for short) so will be treating for this. All the EKG's she had were showing normal readings and this is good. Thanks for praying. 

Thursday, November 10, 2016

TRIAL PERIOD

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45 

Jesus came to serve mankind; He gave His life for our sin,
He never meant to be served, but He came to bring the lost in.
When He died upon the cross, the shed blood paid my way,
And receiving Him as my own, I then pray to Him and obey. (RP)

Yesterday the heart specialist started the low dosage of TICOSYN medication. It has to be monitored for 3 days. She took her first pill at around 9:30 and I suppose the second last night after nine.  They do EKG's periodically to determine if the heart rhythm is correct with the new medication. If it works, it will eliminate the need for a pacemaker.  We pray she had a good night last night.  During the day we walked around the triangle shaped configuration of the cardiac unit on the 4th floor. She wanted to walk, and they are delighted she does. We made 5 laps around the area during the day. The nurse was pleased. I plan to leave shortly to be with her at the hospital. I need to be there to help her with getting to the bathroom, walking, etc. I also want to be there to try to understand all the many details the doctors give in explaining what they are doing. Thanks for praying. 

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

NEW MEDICATION

Mark 9:23
Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.

A man who wanted his son to be healed,
Had no success with disciples, so to Jesus appealed.
Jesus was willing to heal him if only he believed,
The man said he did, and healing the boy received.(RP)

I spent the day yesterday with Margie. The doctor ordered an echocardiogram. This will tell them if there is a clot in her heart. If there is not one, then they can start her on a medication that has to be monitored three days. It is very critical, because of the possible danger involved with it. Please pray. I am trying now to get all done and get into the hospital before the heart specialist visits Margie this morning. She wants me there, and I want to be there to get the instructions clear. Thanks so much for praying. Margie's pressure has stabilized with medication and she had a restful day. We will keep you informed. 

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

E.R.

1 John 1:5 
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you,that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

In a world filled with darkness and sin, what hope is there for me?
It truly is a dark picture, for almost all people, we agree.
Christ makes the difference for all who receive Him as Lord,
With Him as your Savior you win, and great will be your reward. 
Jesus is the light of the world and we His children are light, 
Receive Him today for salvation and you will do what is right.  (RP)

Margie complained her heart was pounding. She tolerated it for awhile, took some medication, but then asked me to take her to emergency. We arrived around 8:45 and and EKG indicated very erratic heart beat. Her blood pressure was so low they could not give medication so she was on IV to improve that. The doctor said he would refer her to a heart specialist. I left at 11 last night and will be going back in shortly to be with her. Thanks for praying.
I just called the hospital and she was sleeping so I didn't disturb her. I will try later. 

Monday, November 7, 2016

MORE TIME

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

Faith plays a vital role in the life of each of His own,
With Him we live here, and we are never alone.
Access to God with boldness is ours; this is our joy,
And nothing that comes against us can ever destroy. (RP)

We have more time this week to squeeze in a few extra things because Friday we do not have the Bible class. That day the Senior Activity Center is closed for Veteran's Day.  I am doing more work on the Shepherd's book and also working ahead for our next study which will begin in a few weeks on the book of Matthew.  And beside this, I am studying for two messages which I will bring at out church Nov. 20 and Dec 25. Thanks for praying. 

Sunday, November 6, 2016

REGULAR SCHEDULE

Colossians 3:23-24 
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

God expects His children to live for Him and work,
And this duty they should never take lightly or shirk.
Whatever we do let us do it with zest; it is for the Lord,
He takes note of all this and be sure for it He will reward.
Be diligent in serving the Lord, dear friend; He will repay,
And you will be blessed as you live for Him, all along the way. (RP)

At church we are back to the normal schedule now. October was Missions Month so we had each missionary take the Sunday School hour also. We have a missionary next Sunday who was not able to come to our regular conference so Jon Wright will have Sunday School and church next Sunday. We look forward to that. This morning Rob Robbins will be speaking. He has spoken several times here. Our son Rawlie is here and will be returning home today sometime. It is always nice when he is here. Margie yesterday baked and prepared lunch for him. We had a great time. Thanks for praying. 

Saturday, November 5, 2016

STARBUCKS

Pure religion and undefiled  before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.  James 1:27 

People say they are religious, but they don't know what they say, 
God knows your heart completely and says so when you're not okay. 
Helping people who are troubled is true religion at its best, 
But God only counts that right when you do all at His behest.  
God honors those who are pure, because He has made them so,
So live for Jesus my dear friend and let His love to others show. (RP)

This morning Rawlie is here so we are leaving in a few minutes for Starbucks and will have breakfast at Haggen grocery store. After that I will shop for some things Margie needs for baking today. We had 3 new visitors to the class yesterday and the place was full. We are nearing the end of our Genesis study, then we will start the book of Matthew. We look forward to this. Yesterday I printed off more chapters of our Shepherd book so our friend Laurel can make corrections. Thanks for praying. 

Friday, November 4, 2016

COLDER

Matthew 7:15 
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

We must be careful of the things we hear; not everything is sound,
And we already know from the Bible, false teaching does abound.
These teachers come disguised as true, but really they are fakes,
And if you listen and heed their voice, then you make big mistakes.
God warns us just to stay in His Word, and it will teach us right,
Live for Him, and pray each day, and this will be His delight. (RP)

Compared to other places we have it real good in this part of the country. This morning the thermometer is registering a colder temperature, but it is still much warmer than many places. We have no complaints. This morning we go down the hill for Bible study. Hopefully people will be in better health and our attendance will improve. One of the class members mentioned yesterday to us that even with several missing, quite a few tables were filled. Again, we have no complaints. Thanks for praying. 

Thursday, November 3, 2016

CHANGE

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.  Philippians 1:9 

Paul earnestly desired his readers to grow; his instruction and prayer are here,
What love he had for the believers then; his message was loud and clear.
He wants love to grow each day, but especially to show in a God-honoring way,
So listen to wise words and learn to love with knowledge and a beautiful array. (RP)

We had a change of appointments yesterday, when we discovered Margie can only receive the shoulder pain shots every three months. We thought it was every two. So we did not go to Bellingham in the afternoon. We had lunch then a leisurely afternoon at home. It was nice not having more appointments. Today, of course, we are back to the "hair and prayer" schedule. Thanks for praying. 

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

MEDICAL

Luke 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Don't ever think you are not important; God has a message for you,
Not even transactions are overlooked by Him; look at His point of view.
He even knows how much hair is on our head, so don't be misled.
We are valuable to God, even more than the birds that fly overhead. (RP)

I am late getting this online, because I took Margie to the physical therapist and we just returned. This afternoon she get a shot in her shoulder. We hope that minimizes her pain considerably. She has been suffering much with pain the last week or so.  I had an elder meeting last night. The days are busy for us without a pastor. We pray the Lord sends one to us in His timing. We are ready. Thanks for praying.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

THE DAY AFTER

And they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.Acts 4:13

Help me to live for You today in such a special way,
That others will know without a doubt in my life He is on display. (RP)

For our  church, yesterday was a big day. All the preparation for the Parking Lot Party was huge. Our thanks goes to all who willingly participated in all the activity for that. Things were more calm at our place. 
Today is busy for us because I will be at church for awhile, then go to the doctor, then pick Margie up and we attend the missions meeting at our church.  After that we have some shopping at the 20% discount day at Walgreens, then I have an elder meeting at night. All this should keep us on our toes today. Thanks for praying.