HOT WEATHER

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.Lam 3:22-23

The Lord is merciful, and for this we are not consumed,

His gift to us is sweeter than a rose so delicately perfumed.

We thank Him much for compassion, which will never ever fail,

And it does not depend on my strength, because I am very frail.

His blessings are new every morning, we can always count on this,

And God's faithfulness is dynamic and its value we cannot dismiss.(RP)

This morning the radio announced hot weather coming. We will see. In some places it might hit 100 degrees. Yesterday  we enjoyed a missionary presentation during Sunday School from our friends who work in Haiti. We will get back into normal schedule next Sunday, and I will be teaching in the book of Joshua again. Thanks for praying. 

MISSIONARIES

1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Believers in Christ are to honor God no matter their lot in life,

And maintain this commitment every day in spite of trouble and strife.

So in food or pleasure or whatever you do, be sure to honor him,

And you'll be the winner, promised by God and your life will be filled to the brim.(RP)

This morning we will hear missionaries during Sunday School. Next week I will have the Joshua class. We have not had it for two Sundays. Yesterday I was able to complete the correction of 20 more chapters of our Shepherds book, and print them for a second review. We are hoping and praying that perhaps the book will be ready for Christmas.This is our goal. Thanks for praying. 

DELIGHTFUL VISIT

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Believers in Christ have a job to do, God's Word spells it out for us,

To Him we are special and He tell us so in this verse we are about to discuss.

To be chosen,royal,holy and special is more than we can take,

And to think He called us from darkness to Him, why would we now forsake.

So now we proclaim Him to all who will hear, this wonderful message of light,

And urge them to surrender their souls to His care, acknowledging his power and might.(RP)

We had a delightful visit this week from some of our family members. Rawlie was here overnight and left yesterday. But some of his family came in the afternoon with other friends, and we had a great time with them. They came to get in on a little of the famous Old Settlers yearly event in Ferndale. Today it is bright sunny one, with warm weather predicted. Thanks for praying. 

RAWLIE

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.Matthew 7:7

Lord, It seems I do much talking when I came to you in prayer,

Teach me how to ask and seek and knock, without fanfare. (RP)

Rawlie came up to spend the night and part of today here. It is always nice having him here. The weather is cooler. Thankfully I am ahead on research and study for sermons and Bible class, so today I will work more on our Shepherds book. I would love to try to get it out in order to offer it for Christmas. We will see. Thanks for praying. 

ROOT BEER BELLY

Therefore;Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.

2 Cor 6:17

God calls us to separate ourselves from the world, living truly only for him,

And never just live for yourself my friend giving heed to every whim.

Come out from the world and touch no unclean thing is the Masters call today,

And we will have fellowship so wonderful indeed with our Savior all the way.(RP)

You have probably never heard of root beer belly before. We discovered it when we started taking vitamins from Youngevity.com. It is a probiotic item and really gives help to Margie when she suffers stomach upsets. They come in individual wraps. They are sprinkles and one dose usually makes her feel remarkably better. Yes, they do taste like root beer. Thanks for praying. 

"UNDER THE WEATHER"

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.    Heb 4:12

The most powerful book in the world, is the living Word of God,

Many may think this an unusual claim and quickly call it odd.

But the sharpness and piercing of this special Book, surpasses them all,

And meets the need of every soul, whether he be great or small,

This Book knows us like none other can, and the intent of the heart it reads,

It convicts and prods and urges all and for the sinner it continually pleads. (RP)

Yesterday Margie was under the weather and we cancelled a lunch appointment. Today I seem to be

that way, so I am not functioning at full speed. I seldom experience this, so I have to adjust to it. There are still plenty of things to do. I am washing clothes now, and then will continue to work on my upcoming Sunday sermon, plus class in Joshua. Thanks for praying.   

CAR REPORT

Deuteronomy 33:27  The eternal God is your refuge,And underneath are the everlasting arms.

Oh the joy of having Jesus - our refuge strong and sure,

With His arms right underneath us we have a place secure. (RP)

I took the car to the repair shop and they tested the alternator, and praise the Lord it was okay. Our son had offered to come up and install a new one, but now that is not necessary. We are thankful. The weather is warmer these days. We do not complain with temperatures hardly reaching 75 degrees. Thanks for praying.

REPAIR SHOP

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.John 15:15

In God's Word we are called servants, But here, Jesus adds one more,

To be His friend is better, and this relationship we must not ignore.

Jesus reveals the Father to us, and that's because we are His friends,

And this union is so precious and through Christ it never ends.(RP)

I already reported the Buick's dead battery. Today I have requested an appointment with the repair shop to determine if the alternator is defective. Our son has offered to replace it, doing the installation himself. My brother Harold has also said he would cover expenses for it. How generous of our family to do this kindness. The church picnic went well. We brought food home from it for our lunch. We also took retired missionary Iola Boyer. It was nice she could be there. Thanks for praying. 

CHURCH PICNIC

O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. Isaiah 33:2

Our prayer to God is very clear; we want His guiding care,

And of his grace and provisions great,we are very aware.

He is our strength from day to day both morning and at night,

And fellowship with Him, is our daily joy and delight.

When distress and pain are upon us, we call His name in prayer,

And salvation comes so quickly and to Him none can compare. (RP)

This morning we go over to Hovander Park in Ferndale for our church picnic. Two churches meet together for this event today. The pastor of the church which will be joining us, will be the speaker. He is Josh Ausfahl, pastor of Baker Creek Bible Church in Bellingham. We look forward to this. Yesterday I replaced the battery in our Buick, and tomorrow, hopefully the repair shop will replace the alternator. All of a sudden things stopped. Thanks for praying.

GARAGE DOOR

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

When God begins a work in us,He does a wonderful job,

His perfect work is all worthwhile and does not from us rob.

Confidence reigns when He's in charge and surely will be complete,

So trust Him friend with all your heart, His work is so discreet.(RP)

Yesterday I greased the garage door, but it still made the grinding noise as it opened each time. Then I noticed one of the hinges was loose and in fact was missing all the screws that held it in place. So today I must work on it and see if I can get it fixed properly. Margie will be preparing a salad for the church picnic tomorrow. We trust the weather will cooperate. We have a very nice pavillion reserved, so it will protect against rain, as long as people get inside. Thanks for praying. 

SOME EXTRA THINGS

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, ;And lean not on your own understanding;  In all your ways acknowledge Him, ;And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5,6

We sometimes wonder what to do and God responds, "I'll show you"

He never leaves us in the dark but will show us what to do.

But perhaps you ask how one can be so sure to know God's will for us.

And we bring you now to this very good verse which is a good one to discuss.

The simple answer is to trust the Lord and this with all your heart,

And then there's more for we are weak and tend to obey only a part.

God tells us here in language plain don't do this on your own,

For if you do you know this fact, you'll walk the road alone.

In everything acknowledge Him and He will direct your way,

And the joy will be yours to have Him lead and answer when you pray.(RP)

Today is a catch-up day to get some extra things done around here. I printed 20 more chapters of the book yesterday for the second proofreading process. Today I have several things on the to-do list. Margie will be preparing tomorrow a dish for us to take to the church picnic Sunday. I will pick up some things today for that. I will also get some lubricant at ACE hardware for the garage door. It is making a strange sound and I think I better get it greased. Hope it works. Thanks for praying.

RAIN

As for God, His way is perfect;The word of the Lord is proven;He is a shield to all who trust in Him.    Psalm 18:30

A shield may sound strange to some of us but in days long ago it was great,

It protected the soldiers as they fought and going without it was a mistake.

God tells us His way is perfect and those who follow him know it's true,

So trust in Him no matter what and you know He will see you through. (RP)

It has not rained for a long time. Last night it finally broke that streak and today it is wet out there. But we still have temperatures in the 70"s. It is very nice. It is hard to beat this kind of summer. Today our schedule is made out for us with the regular things. We trust your day goes well too. Thanks for praying.

AUDIOLOGIST

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)

This morning I go to the audiologist to have my ear devices checked. I know I do not hear as good as I should, but I doubt if there is any help beyond what I already have. There MAY be but I am unwilling to pay beyond what I already have for these hearing aids. They are very expensive. As my father-in-law used to say, " I hear all I need to" Maybe he is right. Thanks for praying. 

WE HAVE TO ADJUST

Colossians 3:8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

Sometimes we may wonder what we as Christians should do,

But God's Word is filled with commands that one can never undo.

Many things we are told to put off, not allowing them in our talk,

And the obedient ones are enriched, as they exemplify Him in their walk.(RP)

I understood last night when Margie had a bad start to her night, that these times come. We thought the pain relieving medication had done so well for two or three nights, that it would continue. The glitch was last night. But there is hope even in that. She went to her lift chair in the family room for only a short time and returned to her bed later. She seems to be doing well this morning. I am at the church now, and will be here until around noon. Thanks for praying. 

HOPEFUL

2 Corinthians 4:7

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

The gospel enshrined in a human frame, is what we believers possess,

And this power of God displayed in us is more than we can express.(RP)

Margie's inoperable shoulder (bone on bone) causes unbelievable pain. I have been doing research online for some alternatives for relief. After trying several methods, we may have come to a satisfactory temporary relief. We pray we have. Using an ointment containing pain killer properties, she also takes two gel caps I discovered in my search for help. She has had two good nights. Thanks for praying. I should report also on Margie's birthday celebration. We met our family in a town south of us where they entertained her with cards, gifts, and a wonderful meal. We had a safe journey there and back. What a wonderful day. Thank you Lord!

SPECIAL DAY

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

Some of us don't sing well, but a joyful noise we make, 

The Psalmist sang of the mercies of God all for the good Lord's sake. 

He sang as he went along God's faithfulness to proclaim, 

And to all generations his mouth spoke these things, for this was his earnest aim. (RP)

This is a special day. It is Margie's birthday. After church we will drive soutward to a restaurant near Burlington, and meet our family. We will celebrate her birthday there. We look forward to this. I am also looking forward to teaching the next lesson in the book of Joshua. Thanks for praying. 

GARDEN LUNCHEON

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. {23} They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Lam 3:22-23

Not mercy but mercies, our Lord does display as He deals with us day by day

,So important are they that we're protected by Him as we walk along the way.

His compassions surround us but  never can fail,

Even though we don't deserve them and we're so very frail.(RP)

Margie will make taco salad for the luncheon today. We will go to the DeMerchant's home at noon for this yearly event. This family has a very picturesque backyard with numerous flowering plants. For the photographer, it is a delightful experience. We look forward to this. The weather is absolutely perfect for the occasion. Thanks for praying. 

EXTRA TIME

Luke 18: 15 - 16 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.

Jesus is the friend of children, He loves them and tenderly cares,

But the disciples not understanding, sought to meddle in His affairs.

Quickly Jesus instructed the men, to let the children receive His love,

God's kingdom includes them too, part of the master plan from above. (RP)

We have now some extra time to work on other things, because we do not have the Friday class until September 8.  We are trying to get more done on the Shepherds book also. I work on Joshua for the Sunday School class also. We trust your day goes well. Thanks for praying.

YOU'VE HEARD IT MANY TIMES

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.Psalm 37:23

No one is good but God. But in Jesus we are considered good too.
God orders our steps as we travel and for some this is something new.
Each step is ordered by God, according to His sovereign will,
And He delights in our walk with Him and each day is an exciting thrill. (RP)

Thursday for us is hair and prayer day. While Margie is getting her hair done, I usually do some shopping. That's what I will do this morning again. In the afternoon we attend afternoon prayer meeting. Last night's church fellowship was a blessing as we gathered for a light supper, singing, review of last Sunday's message, and prayer. Our weather is amazing. It's not hot, nor real cool. We trust you all have a great day. Thanks for praying. 

FOOT DOCTOR

 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)

This afternoon Margie sees the foot doctor. This morning we are washing clothes, etc. Tonight will be fellowship at church. So we have our day pretty well outlined for us. Any moments left over will be used for studying more for Sunday School class on Joshua. Thanks for praying.

INSURANCE

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 are grateful for drug insurance. When I picked up Margies TICOSYN at Walgreens yesterday, the price was 97 dollars. I asked the attendant how much our insurance paid for the same bottle. She said it was $771.00. That is amazing. This medication has 60 pills in it and they regulate the heart rhythm. She takes one every 12 hours.  Thanks for praying. 

REQUEST

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:6

God will do what he ordains- what a comfort for us all,

And He faithfully works things out whether great or very small.

When He begins a work in us you can know He'll finish well,

So trust Him fully with all your heart and, your doubts He will dispel.

He keeps on working in your life the work started long ago,

And it will last until He comes with His blessing to bestow. (RP)

Some in our Sunday School class requested I give questions for our study. I will give it a try. We do a similar thing in our Senior Center studies. So I will have to rearrange my notes to accommodate the questions. I hope it works out satisfactorily for the class members. I will have to work ahead so they can have the questions before the class session each Sunday. Never a dull moment. That keeps be busy. Right?  Thanks for praying. 

JOSHUA

Proverbs 16:25  There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Something that "seems" is not always right when you speak of eternal things,

Because choosing wrong roads is a terrible thing with all the agony it brings.

Choose Christ who is the way to eternal life and entrust your life to him,

And your life will be bright with His holy life and one that will never grow dim.(RP)

I am looking forward to the second class in the book of Joshua this morning during Sunday School.  I know we are going to have a great time in this book. The practical lessons are numerous and we pray the class will learn these as we go along. Thanks for praying. 

REPORT ON CAR

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)

The repair shop could find nothing irregular about the car, even after checking the computer with their special equipment. They did say the snow tires should be changed. I was told that before. I will have to take care of that because they are getting worn down, and after all it is summer. Our son Rawlie is here so in while we will go for coffee at Starbucks. I am making pretty good progress on correcting the proofreading errors found in our book, plus inserting or removing commas. They seem to be the hardest for me. We are so thankful for Laurel Hicks who is helping with this. Thanks for praying. 

CAR CONCERNS

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.(RP)

Oh how great to trust God's sovereignty and His providence Divine,

And to know He leads me daily with all the troubles that are mine.

He has a reason for each thing knowing best how to direct my way,

Cheer up fellow Christian, let God do His work, as you trust Him day by day.(RP)

The warning light flashed and three different warnings came on the dashboard. I called the repair shop that does maintenance on our car, and he scheduled me for 12:30 today. There is still a strange grinding sound at times when we come to a stop then start out turning the steering wheel. I hope they find the problem today. It is windy but the temperature will warm up as the day progresses. Thanks for praying. 

GREAT FELLOWSHIP

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  1 Cor 1:9

How can we deny God's faithfulness when we see all He's done for us,

We were called and have fellowship with Christ, which for us is such a plus.

Jesus our Lord and Savior is our personal friend and guide,

And all along life's pathway He is always on our side.(RP)

Last night we had a very nice fellowship meeting, BBQ, at Marianne Brudwick's house. Missionary Ben Pehrson spoke, and his son accompanied us on the guitar for the sing time.  We were there until around 8 then left. Our house was HOT, so I got the water coolers on. Our bedroom went down around 8 degrees before we retired for the night. That's not bad for water coolers. Thanks for your prayers. 

IT'S OVER - MAYBE

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’s 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)

Maybe the firecracker noise is over, but we will not hold our breath. Tonight we may get another dose of it. It was not too bad last night. Today we are back in the swing of things again. It's wash day at our house. Tonight we go to our friend's house for a church-wide fellowship where we will hear Ben Pehrson speak again. We look forward to this. Thanks for praying. 

Happy 4th of July

John 8:36 

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Independence Day speaks of freedom for us all,

And I pray that on this special day upon the Lord we'll call.

Those in Christ are free indeed and this we can't deny,

Spiritual freedom is precious indeed and comes from God on high.

If you are lost without Christ, my friend, come, get salvation today,

By trusting what Jesus did for you, and you'll be free without delay. (RP)

It's quiet around here today. Last night there were few fireworks. I will not go to the church today as I usually do, because of the day. I will do more preparations for Sunday School and the book of Joshua. I look forward to this. I worked on our Shepherd's book yesterday and prepared more to be seen by the proofreader, editor and helper, Laurel Hicks. We now have a name for the book and I wrote the first chapter in the book based on it. Thanks for praying. 

GREAT SUNDAY

John 15:5 (NKJV) "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

To be in Christ is a desired place; our union with Him is so great,

Abiding in Him is the believer's joy, and to this everyone can relate. 

Fellowship with Christ has its own rewards, fruit bearing is first on the list,

And He warns us so lovingly that without Him, we cannot persist.(RP)

It was a blessing to be with the Pehrson family yesterday in church. Missionary Ben Pehrson preached, and he and his dad sang a duet. It was so nice. At home part of our family came and Gina prepared lunch. Margie provided the salad and dessert. We had a nice time together. Gina, Monique, and Gwen, returned home in the afternoon, and Rawlie stayed overnight here. We will have breakfast at Starbucks this morning. Thanks for praying. 

MISSIONARY SUNDAY

1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

Believe in God's son is the commandment to mankind,

And with it there is nothing stern or unkind.

Christians are commanded to love another,

And this is for all and includes father and mother. (RP)

Ben & Mandy Pehrson, and their 5 children will be with us this morning in church. They have just flown in from Papua New Guinea. This will be their first service. They are related to our church secretary Marianne Brudwick. They serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators. We will be happy to hear of their work. It is the first time for us to meet them, even though we know Ben's folks for many years. Thanks for praying. 

FAMILY IS COMING

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Evil abounds everywhere, and our enemy seeks our defeat,

Our enemy is the old devil, and his method is pure deceit.

We fight not flesh and blood, but the darkness of this age,

And the wickedness in heavenly places is always in a rage.

Thank God we are the victors through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Our weapon is the very best; God's word is our strong sword. (RP)

Our family is coming to Ferndale, because they want to see and hear missionary Ben & Mandy Pehrson. His folks will also be here and it will be great to see them all.  Our daughter-in-law, Gina will be bring the meal for Sunday. Margie will make desserts. You remember, yesterday was "no schedule" day. Well, I vacuumed the house, mopped the kitchen floor (some jam got spilled in it broken jar). It was a mess. I ironed clothes also, and kept pretty busy because I also did some dusting. Margie feels badly she can't do any of it. Thanks for praying.