Tuesday, February 28, 2017

OFFICE DUTY

Isaiah 45:22   "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Many saviors deceive earth dwellers, but God says there's only One,Our heavenly Father is the Savior; look to Him and your battle's won.He is calling all the earth, to hear His voice and receive His Son,And we know that what He gives you is salvation that can't be outdone. (RP)

Even though the Bellingham schools are closed today, here in Ferndale the bus routes are on a two hour delayed schedule. Lord willing, I plan to go to the church and be there to pray, talk to people and help in anyway I can. I also will work on the prayer sheet for our church and if time permits, study more for Friday's Bible class. Our culdesac here is a winter wonderland. There is probably a layer of about 3 inches of snow on things. Thankfully the driveway is pretty clear. I should have no trouble. Thanks for praying. 

Monday, February 27, 2017

BIRTHDAY

The rich and the poor have this in common, The LORD is the maker of them all.  Prov 22:2

When we stand before God we are all the same, there's no rank, position or class,
Whether rich or poor, sickly or well before God you can't pay for a pass,
Common ground before God is the place where we stand, no one can boast any thing,
We stand before Him in our helpless estate, and we can only our sin to him bring. (RP)

After church yesterday we drove 35 miles south to Burlington and met our family at the Red Robin restaurant for my birthday lunch. It was a great time and we appreciated it very much. Then we drove back to the church to congratulate Alice Joy on her 90th birthday celebration. Unfortunately, her daughter Barbara, recovering from recent surgery, was taken home by other friends. On that trip a driver ran into the van and all three occupants were taken to the hospital. We fear some injuries were detected in subsequent exams. We are praying especially for Barb and Linda, the ones who received the brunt of the blow. Apparently the van was totaled. Thanks for praying. 

Sunday, February 26, 2017

SNOW

But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works.Psalm 73:28

The Psalmist had it right indeed and the order is so good..
Draw near to God is the first great step and everybody should.
He next trusts God with all his heart, what a wonderful thing to do,
Then you are ready to declare God's works and all His will pursue.(RP)

They predicted it and they were right; it snowed. It is not very thick and I believe right now it is melting. I believe there will be church this morning, and we plan on driving south to Burlington to have lunch with our family at Red Robin. Rawlie is here and I know he wants to get back to Stanwood for their church also. So we trust you have an enjoyable day and we look forward to ours also. Thanks for praying. 

Saturday, February 25, 2017

GOOD CLASS

When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well; Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the afflictionMark 5:27-29

The faith of this lady is a lesson to all
And is for those who will listen, whether great or small
She longed to touch Him and be made whole,
And we know by this story Jesus was in control
And by her faith the soul who suffered so much
Was instantly healed when she decided her Savior to touch.(RP)

The attendance was better in the Friday Bible class. The cold weather, snow and people's health have cut down on class attendance. hopefully things are on the mend now and we will have more coming. The weatherman is still persistent in his forecast for snow. This morning things were white with frost. Rawlie is here so in a moment we will head for Starbucks for coffee. We trust your day goes well.  Thanks for praying.

Friday, February 24, 2017

SNOW

Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.  II Corinthians 9:15

We thank God everyday for blessings He bestows,
There are so many, who can count them, who really knows?
A gift each Christmas we'll not forget, is God's greatest one to us,
The unspeakable gift called Jesus, is for each of us a great plus.(RP)

There is not very much right now, but there is snow on the ground. We believe it will melt off quickly. We are hoping so, because our Bible class was cancelled several times because of inclement weather in past days. We look forward to the class this morning. We trust your day goes well also. Thanks for praying. 

Thursday, February 23, 2017

COULD IT BE ?

But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your Yes,be Yes, and your ;No,No, lest you fall into judgment.  James 5:12

It makes a difference, yes it does, the words we say each day,
God gives the orders and it's up to us if we really will obey
We are not to swear in any way, but let our words positive be,
Doing this God's way we are on the right road and to this His words agree.
His judgment will fall on disobedient ones and their lot is sad indeed,
For no one can go against God's commands and ever expect to succeed.(RP)

We wonder if the forecasters are correct. According to them, this weekend, beginning tomorrow, we will have snow again. If it happens, our Friday bible class may be cancelled again. And our scheduled trip to Burlington to join the family for dinner may be postponed also. We are glad these things are in the Lord's hands. The weather looks like and feels like snow so maybe it is coming. Thanks for praying. 

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

CHURCH DUTY

In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,But he who restrains his lips is wise.Proverbs 10:19


So many words we speak each day and  at times they aren't very wise,We're prone to let words slip, resulting in a surprise. Sin appears in the multitude of words, so let's all be careful and wise,Restrain your lips from unholy thoughts and be right in our Savior's eyes.(RP)

Today is my day to be at the church, sitting in the pator's office where I worked for 18 years. I am so glad I am able to help a little in our senior years. I am normally here on Tuesday but another elder did this yesterday. With our laptop computer back and running, I made a lot of progress yesterday in my work. Believe it or not. The weather is beautiful, but they forecast more snow this week. Thanks for praying. 

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

WORTH IT BUT EXPENSIVE

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Men may pretend they nothing about God, but deceived and deceivers they are,
For God has created each one with this gift, they clearly see God near and far.
Man knows there is power beyond himself, somewhere in the world out there,
And all nature speaks  to each of this power, and of it all are aware.
So when all life is over and men stand before God there is nothing they can say,

For man has no excuse before a holy God, and for his decision he will pay. (RP)

The Geek Squad called, and our laptop was ready for us. To my amazement, the problem was not caused by anything wrong I had done. It was caused by a Windows 10 update that went "sour" and did not do what it was supposed to do. Often we are alerted to needed updates. They come in automatically. We thank the Lord the laptop is okay, and I will not have to replace it. I guess this Geek Squad is like a good car mechanic. I can't fix the problem but they can. It was worth it, but is expensive. I decided to get a two year plan because the initial cost for repair would be half of the two year plan. I hope I don't have to use them again. Thanks for praying.

Monday, February 20, 2017

COMPUTER PROBLEM

I am sorry to report that computer problems have caused us to do a shortcut on this site today and be brief. I am doing this on the old computer that should be "dead" by now. I was able to revive it enough to get this out to you today. In recovering files from Carbonite ( a backup agency I have used for years),something happened to the new laptop and now it is with the Geek Squad for them to try to determine what happened. I pray they find the answers quickly because I am very dependent on the machine for my ministry work . Thanks for praying.

Saturday, February 18, 2017

STILL GOING STRONG

'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.  (Jer.33:3)

Lord help me learn to call
And before your presence fall
So that I can then recall

All your blessings large and small.(RP)

The back up program I talked about yesterday is still going strong today. It started two days ago, putting back (recovering) files on their system to mine. According to the box on the screen it still has 33 hours left to accomplish this task.  What a job. Then I have to go through those myriad files and discard what we don't want or need anymore. I will be glad when it is over, but am so thankful we subscribed to this service years ago. Our son just called and had a chat on the phone. I must prepare now for the Sunday School class I will be teaching tomorrow. Thanks for praying.











Friday, February 17, 2017

CARBONITE

O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; ;You understand my thought afar off.You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways..Psalm 139:1-3

Some feel so lonely and believe no one cares,
But believers know something to which nothing compares.
God knows our hearts and where we are now,
And nothing can happen that He does not allow.
So cheer up my brethren God understands all,

And will always be listening when upon Him we call.(RP)

When I was preparing to transfer my files from the old to the new computer, I saved many of them on an external hard drive. To my dismay, I learned later, they really didn't get on the hard drive and were lost. But then comes CARBONITE.  I have susbscribed to this service for years and to great advantage. It automaticslly backs up all my files. Now when I want those files I thought were lost, I can get them back. It takes about 2 or 3 days for this transfer process to complete. Right now it is doing it. Maybe by Monday I can start sorting through the files to discard the ones I no longer need. This morning we go to the Senior Center for the Bible class. We always look forward to this. Thanks for praying. 

Thursday, February 16, 2017

FRESH AIR

Psalm 118:24This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Lord, I'm glad you made this day for us, it's beautiful indeed, 
Help me rejoice and happy be as Your Word I study and read.(RP)

The temperature has risen considerably lately. Last night it was very warm in our bedroom, so for the first time in a long time, we opened the sliding door and let the refreshing cool air in. We also have a fan that helps bring it in. This afternoon we have a service at the Blaine, WA cemetery.  It will be for  Kathleen Kearns, whose memorial service we had February 4 in Marysville, WA. The high winds were strong all night. Today things are calm. There is plenty of rain. Thanks for praying. 


Wednesday, February 15, 2017

FLOODING

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

The Bible preaches the gospel, it's as clear as the prophets declare,
Remission of sin for the sinner, is there for those who prepare.
Trust Jesus as personal Savior and experience forgiveness, my friend.
The result will be joy forever, peace, contentment and life without end. (RP)

The weather man has given out two words in his forecast that alarm people in Ferndale: Wind and flooding. Both cause damage, and sometimes our lights go out. We on the hill do not have flooding, but many in the lowlands are threatened. We pray all will be well. Tonight winds are predicted to reach 55 mph. That is a lot of wind. Yesterday I had a productive day at the church office. Today I will prepare for our Sunday School class which I was asked to teach in our present teacher's absence. Thanks for praying. 



Tuesday, February 14, 2017

WIND

1 Timothy 6:6-8Now godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain[a] we can carry nothing out.  And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

Are you content with life today and your relationship with God?Only He can give you peace as on this journey you trod.
Remember life is short indeed and the things we have are from Him,
So be content with what you have and praise Him and sing a hymn..(RP)

We are warned on the radio, to be prepared for high winds that will start tomorrow. We are so glad we have a generator. Last week we used it when all the ice-laden trees were breaking and causing power outages. So if the winds do it this time, we are prepared. Yesterday we spend the first part of the day getting the bathrooms and floors clean. Margie has developed an allergy reaction to one of the cleaning products, and the last two weeks got ill doing the cleaning. I told her that was the end of her doing it. I will take over. I did it in the past, now will continue. I go sit in the church pastor's office today. It gives me time to work on several projects I have related to the church and my bible class at the Center. thanks for praying. 

Monday, February 13, 2017

QUICK TRIP TO BURLINGTON

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.

There's one thing God wants us to know dear one, He desires for us to work.
And these are good works he asks us to do, and in this we better not shirk.
The secret of works is for we who believe; all because He saved our soul,
And every day as we move about our lives are in his control.(RP)

After church we made a quick trip to Burlington, WA to meet friends for lunch. The Thomasons, Glen & Gerry, have helped us through the years and she has given Margie many beautiful clothes. Yesterday she brought a winter coat for her, which will be a blessing in the next cold spell. We had a great visit, a delicious meal, then returned home. We had a leisurely afternoon at home, and in the evening watched and listened to a Bible message on the program Rejoice in the Lord. We hope your day was a blessing also, and that today will be a repeat of it. Thanks for praying.  

Sunday, February 12, 2017

NEW PHONE

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

This demonstration took place years ago, on just a lonely hill,
All in accordance with Scripture based on God's prefect will.
We are the recipients of this deed, sinners for whom Christ died,
And now we have Him as our Savior , a very loving guide.(RP)

Unfortunately my phone began to act up in weird ways and I knew something had to be done about it. Rawlie is here, and we worked together on a project at the Flint house, then he took me to Walmart and I purchased a new phone. At home I got it connected, and am learning all the new things about it. We are going to church in a little while. Rawlie will return to Stanwood. The snow is melting nicely on our road, and things should be okay for all to attend church this morning. The parking lot is scraped and a hug pile of snow makes a fabulous place for the neighborhood kids to play. Thanks for praying.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

BACK TO NORMAL

Repeat  So we may boldly say;The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?    Heb 13:6

Oh how wonderful to serve the Lord and trust Him day by day,
Leaning trustingly upon Him as I walk along the way.
He is our greatest Helper and trusted Friend indeed.
And with Him no fear assails me and with Him we will succeed.(RP)

By degrees things are getting back to normal. Schools have been closed all week. Those poor kids and teachers will be in the classroom this summer, the way things are going. They still have make up time from the last storm that came through. Our son will probably drop by for a visit and stay overnight. He has some work to do on one of the rentals.  I will be working ahead on Bible class making new study sheets. Our road is still covered with snow, even after all the melting that took place yesterday. Thanks for praying for us. We appreciate it. 

Friday, February 10, 2017

NO BIBLE CLASS TODAY

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.  I Peter 3:12

Our God is watching over us as we live for Him each day,
His ears are listening to our prayers as we move along the way.
It’s sobering  to have the Lord against those who evil do,
And remember the ones who are guilty he already knew.(RP)

The Ferndale Senior Activity Center normally follows the rule of the Ferndale High School. When they are closed so is it. Now and then the director may want to open for some reason. Our class is pretty well trained to know when we have class or not.We miss not being there, but for some it is difficult to get to class due to the road conditions. Weather-wise, things are beginning to improve. The snow is melting and many of the roads are passable. It will be nice when things are normal again.  We will take the time today to work on things we normally don't have time for. Yesterday our prayer meeting was cancelled due to the snow, and we are praying all will be okay for church on Sunday. Thanks for praying. 

Thursday, February 9, 2017

DRIVEWAY CLEARED

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Those who labor for the Lord have instructions strong and clear,
Faithfulness and a steady pace is our duty with a heart sincere.
We should always give our best and most to the work He has for us,
He promises that this work's not in vain when we do it without a fuss. (R P)
Displaying IMG_20170209_085626500_HDR.jpg
A freezing rain left a mighty icy glaze on top of much snow that fell yesterday. It snowed all day. Because we are at the end of our cul-de-sac, we got the drifts caused by the northeast winds that blew during the storm. This morning in some places it was about two ft. deep. I was glad when I finished the path the car will take when I back out of the garage. I am grateful to the Lord I can still do it. The icicles hanging from the drain toughs are beautiful. Thanks for praying. 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

OBITUARY

Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you...

Jesus sees things differently; we may not always agree,
He wants us to love enemies, I hope His view you will see.
Those who curse us are to be blessed; will you do this today?
Do a kindness to those who hate you; and please do not delay.
Begin praying today for those who persecute you; this is God's will,
Obey His commands and your heart with His grace He will fill.
(RP)

Our friend Armond Daws, lost his daughter last month, and yesterday his only sister June, died. She was younger than Armond. We just had his daughter's funeral last Saturday. We know you will pray for him. Yesterday I had the pleasure of sitting in my old office at the church for a few hours. Our new secretary Marianne Brudwick was there for her initial day of work. Years ago when I was pastor, she was secretary also. It is a joy having her back again. Today we are supposed to get freezing rain, snow and high winds. Our place now looks like a winter wonderland. Thanks for praying. 

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

ON DUTY

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Man left to himself will always choose wrong with eternal death as his lot.

With Christ in one’s life the right choice has been made and now you're in the right spot

Today I am sitting in my former office at the church. This is my day to be here and help in any way I can. We have the privilege today of having Marianne Brudwick back in the church office as secretary. What an answer to prayer and we are blessed. She should be here in few minutes to start her work. You remember years ago she was church secretary when I was pastor here. There is plenty of snow in our cul-de-sac at home and also here at the church. Thanks for praying.


Monday, February 6, 2017

CLOSURES

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one 
another, just as God in Christ forgave you..
(Ephes. 4:32)

God wants us to be kind to all who are around us,
With tenderness and forgiveness to all,
Christ forgave us at Calvary and the empty tomb,
And this blessing is for each one who upon Him will call
(RP)

It snowed lighly all night. This morning there seems to be about a foot high drift in our driveway. I will remove that sometime today, I hope. Our son called and his area had snow last night, so he is staying home and will work there. Here in our area, all schools are closed. I really need to take some letters to the mailbox, but am not too excited about walkin there. The street is a mess. We trust your day goes well. We had no church yesterday --- too much snow. Thanks for praying. 

Sunday, February 5, 2017

THANK YOU LORD

James 4:10 (NKJV) 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Some are high and mighty and strut around, and don't have time for God,
They foolishly leave God out and seem to go through life slipshod.
We are called to live above that style, let God have always first place,
Do this and you will be happy indeed as He fills you with joy and His grace.(RP)

Arriving home in the late afternoon yesterday, we thanked the Lord for a safe trip to Marysville where we conducted the funeral for Kathleen Jean Kearns, the daughter of our good friend Armond Daws. After a time of fellowship at Carl and Linda Coonrod's place, we left for Ferndale. The roads were clear all the way. In Ferndale, however, our part of the city was packed with snow and ice. There is no church today because of this. We are having church at home via TV. Trust your day goes well also. Thanks for praying. 

Saturday, February 4, 2017

MEMORIAL SERVICE

Psalm 121:1-2  I will lift up my eyes to the hills-From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

Some find it hard to look up, perhaps their thoughts do not go that way ,
Worried and concerned about earthly things, they just don't have time today.
King David gives some healthy advice; look up to the hills my friend,
When you look to the hills, you look beyond, and then you will comprehend.
Because when you look up you will see the Lord, waiting to give you aid,
Then you start anew in fellowship sweet, and for sure you will not be afraid. (RP)

This afternoon in Marysville, Washington we are supposed to officiate in a memorial service for Kathleen Kearns, the daughter of our long time friend Armond Daws. The road conditions have been very precarious, and we do not know if we can make it or not. Alternate plans were made. I will send my funeral message to Linda, Armond's daughter, who will find someone to read it. But we hope that will not have to happen. Lord willing we plan on leaving early so we can drive slowly. Going south we are told the road conditions get better. We pray that is so. Thanks so much for praying. 

Friday, February 3, 2017

SNOWING

Matthew 12:37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
Did you ever think that the words you speak are being heard by God?
He listens carefully to what we say, and not everything gets a not.
Our words count much and mean so much and by them we'll be judged,
So please be careful and watch what you say as on this path you trudge.(RP)

As I write this early in the morning, it is snowing. That means we will probably not have the Bible Study. The Ferndale Senior Center goes by the Ferndale High School rule, that if they are closed, so is the Center. So I will call the number around 9 AM and see what the score is. We are all prepared for the trip tomorrow to Marysville, for the funeral service for Kathleen Kearns, the daughter of our long-time friend, Armond Daws. We pray the roads will be cleared for our trip. Thanks for praying. 

Thursday, February 2, 2017

SUCCESS

And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!   Romans 10:15

We send men and women to teach and preach to win the lost to Christ,
They can only preach when we send them out, do we have to be enticed?
I pray we will give and pray and go that the world may know of God's love,
The feet of those who do His will are beautiful, made so by the Lord above. (RP)

Yesterday afternoon I finally found some help for the Outlook mail program on our laptop. I have tried for over 3 weeks to get the problem settled. Even the so-called experts,were unsuccessful. Why would Outlook receive our mail, but never send anything out. We thank the Lord that yesterday's fix to the problem worked, and now we have a functioning Microsoft Outlook mail program. Please pray about tomorrow and Saturday. The weather report states that we may have freezing rain and snow. We have a funeral in Marysville Saturday. Thanks for praying.


Wednesday, February 1, 2017

NEW MONTH

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said,Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.Acts 13:2

God has a place for each to work in His harvest field so great,
He uses those who seek His face and upon Him patiently wait.
Barnabas and Saul in the verse above, ministered, fasted and prayed,
And the Holy Spirit was quick in reply and the answer was not delayed

A new month, but shorter than the rest. That means we have a lot to do in less time if we have set February as the month to get it done. I am thankful I was able to get quite a bit accomplished yesterday. I even was able to straighten up my office a bit. It looks better now.  Today I am in the church office. We are without a secretary at the moment, but before the week is over, I believe we will have one. I am here to answer the phone and take care of the foot traffic that may drop in. We heard this morning that some inclement weather may be headed our way. I ask you to pray for us as we must drive to Marysville, Washington Saturday for a funeral. We pray the roads will be okay.Thanks for praying.