PAIN

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Ephesians 5:11

Do not be a part of the underworld where the deeds of darkness lurk,

If you give in the the devil's deeds, you are someone we should shirk.

Our duty as Christians is to fight the fight by standing for what is right,

And the way this is done, as I look around, is by standing firm and fight.

God will help you my friend, the evil shun, and expose it for all to see,

You will have peace and God's blessing for sure; for you this is my plea. (RP)

Margie's doctor gave an injection in her left shoulder, trying to minimize the pain she is having lately. She has a "new" right shoulder, but said she could not go through the pain of another surgery like that. We hope the shot will minimize the pain in her shoulder. She also will see a physical therapist about some sort of brace or help for her back and knees.  Today is clothes-washing day and I work up the prayer sheet for the church. Thanks for praying.

GOOD NEWS

1 Corinthians 13:8 

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies,they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease;whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

One thing is certain in this world of ours: God's love never fails,

And no matter what happens around us, His love always prevails.

When prophecy finally gets old and fails, and when tongues cease,

His love will always be here and it will always be on the increase.

When knowledge seems to just vanish away, something remains,

Yes we know that God is love and it is always refreshing as the rains.(RP)

Yesterday at the eye doctor, he told me I did not need to change the prescription on my lenses. We were pleased with the news. Margie went with me, then we stopped at a couple of places to shop. She stayed in the car. It was a little too much for her because at home she got sick and had to lay down. Later in the evening she was feeling much better. We were invited for a meal with Armond Daws and his daughter and son-in-law but we had already lunched. They came here and brought us some fresh apples from eastern Washington. It was good to see Armond after his hospital stay. Thanks for your prayers. 

EYE APPOINTMENT

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.James 1:17

Sometime we may wonder what good really is, but in the Word we are told,

God is the giver of every gift,and we should stop often and behold.

His perfect gifts are from above and with Him is no variance or change,

His gift of salvation through Christ is the best, and one whose reward is long-range.(RP)

We were not able to attend church yesterday because Margie had a very poor night. We did the best we could and listened to and watched sermons on TV and online. This morning I go to the eye doctor for my regular two-year check up. I don't apparently have any problems, but if so, he will tell me. Margie will go with me because we have a few things we need to get while in town.  Thanks for praying.

UNCERTAIN

1 Corinthians 10:31 

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Water and food are essential for life; we ingest them normally each day,

God gives us these things to sustain us; He planned it all this way.

As we take in nutrition each day, and all the other things we do,

There is one thing we should not forget; we do it for His glory too.

So remember dear reader from this point onward; do all for His glory,

You will never regret the blessings received; this is the greatest story.(RP)

We are not certain about today's schedule. Margie did not have a good night Friday, and she is still sleeping as I write this. We may not get to church this morning. I know her heart is in it to go, but as we know the flesh is weak. We will see how she feels when she awakens this morning. We heard sad news yesterday that Betty Wood, wife of Dr. Andrew Wood, founder of Shepherds Ministries, died Wednesday.  Betty has been ill for some time. She has been a precious wife to Dr. Wood and we appreciated all she did along with her him as they ministered at Shepherds. We pray for Dr. Wood and his family. He told me there are twenty family members who will attend the services.  Thanks for praying.

POOR NIGHT

Be sure your sin will find you out. 

Numbers 32:23

We are prone to go about without thought of certain things,

Nor do we think things through or know what this brings.

If we are caught in sin, and keep on doing unwise acts,

We must look into the Bible and learn some basic facts.

One thing we know for sure is that our sin will find us out,

And God will hold us to it, and of this you better not doubt.(RP)

Last night Margie did poorly in her sleeping. Even I was up several times, more than usual. Today she is going to take it easy. If she doesn't, we will not be able to attend church tomorrow. The Bible class went well. There were 35 present. Margie's brother and sister-in-law come to the class. Also another couple comes with them. This couple will soon be going to Arizona, so we decided to have a meal together. It was a very nice time. We returned home and I immediately started on preparations for the next class in the book of Genesis. Thanks for praying.

GLAD FOR FRIDAY

Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.

1Samuel 12:23

From this we see the power of prayer as we intercede for souls,

The prophet thought it sin indeed to cease to pray for men.

Can we do less than follow his steps?And do it over and over again?(RP)

We always are glad for Friday when we go to the Bible class. With 35 or so members it is a joy to meet and study the book of Genesis. Yesterday was also an enjoyable day and we were glad for strength to be able to do the things we did. The rains are upon us now and tomorrow promises to be very windy also. We are most thankful that Armond Daws is better. On a more solemn note, our friend Ruth Hall died Wednesday night. Thanks for praying. 

CHANGED PLANS

Isaiah 26:4 

Trust in the Lord forever, For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

Do you find yourself weak and in need of strength today?

Trust in the Lord my brother, and you will find it right away.

The Lord is everlasting strength, and the source of it now,

Come to Him in faith asking, and at his feet humbly bow.

It is wonderful to rest in Him for the things needed each day,

So get in the habit of seeking His will, and for you it will pay.(RP)

Armond Daws has the custom of taking us to a nice restaurant the first Wednesday of each month. This week it was doubtful because he had been in the hospital with congestive heart failure. He was released however and sent word that he was looking forward to our time for the evening meal.  Yesterday his daughter, with whom he stays, called to say he had fallen and would not be coming.  Margie had made him a birthday cake for the occasion(his 96th birthday) and I decorated it and made a special box in which to carry it to the restaurant.  Now we will make other plans. All things work together for good, we are promised in the Bible. In late afternoon I was able to help a person who needed it and had we been in the restaurant, that would not have been possible. Thanks for praying.