MEMORIES

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20

Will you open your life to Jesus, He is knocking to come in,

By invitation only will He enter; when will you begin?

When He enters your life, my friend, He'll have communion sweet with you,

And the blessings He bestows, will be more than you ever knew. (RP)

There are many memories today.  This was Joy's birthday. She has been in heaven for several years already. My brother Ernie wrote reminding us he had never met her, but in heaven they will have that encounter. Another memory: today is the parking lot party at church. We have had several in the last years and they are a great means of reaching out into our community with the gospel.  Bibles and literature will be distributed along with a lot of fun things for the kids, plus loads of treats. We appreciate prayer for this. Thanks for doing it. 

PARKING LOT PARTY

Ephesians 4:31 

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

A carnal believer out of fellowship with Christ, is headed for trouble indeed, 

Whoever is caught in this tangle of flesh, should yearn everyday to be freed.

Only Jesus can give victory in a life like this; submit to Him and confess,

He'll forgive your sin, and make you new, and you will have spiritual success. (RP)

Tomorrow night on the parking lot at First Baptist church there will be a lot of excitement.  It will be the yearly event that sponsors an outreach to our community.  Please pray that the literature and many Bibles given will have a spiritual impact on lives. A great team led by Stephanie Murillo will help run things smoothly. Thanks for praying. 

CATCHING UP

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.John 7:38

Believers in Jesus reap benefits galore; life in Him is great,

His blessings to us are innumerable, this you cannot debate,

The Spirit of God fills His children with joy; this is seen by all,

And we want to talk to the Lord oft times; so upon Him we call.

When we commune with Him, from our heart flows living springs,

And we are happy in Jesus, and because of this our heart sings. (RP)

Hopefully today we can get caught up on several projects. It is amazing how many things we leave undone, hoping for more time to finish. That's what I am talking about today. I will go to the store shortly and get some things Margie needs for baking. Then I will start on my to do list for today. Our grandson Nathan came by yesterday ford a visit. It was a very nice time. We appreciated it. Thanks for praying. 

SAME THING

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. Jeremiah 29:11 

The prophet's words are sweet today as we meditate on them,

And surely we enjoy them: they bless but do not condemn.

God wishes peace for all mankind, especially His children dear,

His plan for our future and hope He gives, are things we like to hear. (RP)

I am sure you all know what I will talk about today. It's Friday and time for the Bible class. We look forward to that hour at the Ferndale Center. We have had two new visitors lately and we trust they will return. Margie's brother George (Spud) Monroe and  and his wife Margaret have been coming down from Canada for a long time to our class. We are impressed by their attendance and they contribute to our study which we appreciate. Our good friend Stephen Adenau is driving today to San Pablo (Near San Francisco). Please pray for safe travels for him. And thanks for praying for us. We appreciate it.  

LONG TIME

When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. It's a ghost,they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.Matthew 14:26-27

Even His disciples did not know who Jesus was that day,

With fear and perplexity they did not know what to say.

But Jesus spoke to them peace, telling them not to fear,

And with His presence He definitely gave them cheer.(RP)

The other day we called to renew our Grop Health Coopertative insurance coverage. The plan we were on was being retired, so we chose another. Instead of going through all the paper work at home, we chose an Online, registration. Jim, the facilitator was very kind. It did take a long time-an hour and forty minutes. We were glad however to save ourselves a lot more time than that trying to figure out all the details of the application. This week we have to add the dental plan to our coverage, so we do not know how long that process will take. We were glad of one thing: in 2017 our rates will go down over $140.00. What a blessing. Thanks for praying. 

EYE DOCTOR

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men..1 Pet 2:15

You may wonder sometimes what God wants you to do,

So look at this verse and learn a thing or two.

God expects us to work for Him each day,

And silence foolish men by the things we do and say.(RP)

This morning I take Margie to the eye doctor. This is a regular checkup and test. He is the one who referred her to the retina specialist. So the two doctors work together on her case. I have a small amount of shopping to do while in Bellingham this morning. I also have to call the audiologist and extend the warranty on my hearing devices. I don't dare let those "pieces of gold" run out on the contract. Thanks for praying. 

CHIROPRACTOR

Galatians 5:25-26 

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Many call themselves Christians, but in truth they may not be,

For to be a child of God, you must with God's Word agree.

Living in the Spirit means we have Jesus in our heart,

Pretending you're a Christian, puts the horse behind the cart.

When you belong to Jesus then your walk with Him counts all,

You are not conceited nor do you provoke any, great or small.

You put envy right out of your life; it never belongs in there,

Read God's word sincerely, and spend time each day in prayer. (RP)

This morning I go to church and sit in the church office. I meet with the church coordinator about the schedule of future events and have prayers. In case others drop in for a visit and prayer, it is good to be there. I enjoy it. This afternoon I take Margie to the chiropractor for an adjustment. Her neck has been very painful lately. Thanks for praying. 

WHAT FIRST?

Psalm 37:4 

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

In

People like to have fun; all sorts of things are their delight,

But at the end of the road many of these things are a fright,

God gives us the time to delight in Him; a very wise choice,

And when done God's way gives one reason to really rejoice.

When your heart is set on Him, the things you desire change,

And the benefits of such dedication certainly have a long range. (RP)

In our daily schedules, we sometimes ask, "What next"? We are certainly not complaining but merely expressing a situation in which we have to chose what we will do today. We all have pressures and responsibilities, so this sort of thing happens daily. We watch our calendar closely to work in the appointments for either of us. Friday is a big one on my schedule. I must be ready to teach the class and also have the next study sheet printed and ready to go. So, do YOU have a "what's next" in your life today? We trust all will go well. And we thank you for your prayers. 

LUNCH AT CHURCH

James 4:7

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

God's order is right, because He knows the way things should be,

Submit to Him, then life will take on new meaning; we all agree.

The devil wants us to do wrong,so please listen to God today,

Submitting to God pays off and the devil will then go away. (RP)

Today we will hear a report from Benin, W. Africa from missionary Colin Ovenell. After church we will have a meal at the church. Margie has prepared a couple of things to take for it. Yesterday we went to the Ferndale Senior Center to celebrate Ione Beyerlin's 95th birthday. It was a joy to see her and her sisters and many of the family. We look forward to this day's activities. Thanks for praying. 

REQUEST

James 1:22 

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

We fool ourselves so often when we listen partly to God's Word.

There is more He expects of us,and it is more than just inferred.

God commands us to act upon His Word and faithfully obey,

And faithfully keep on doing this every single day.

This means doing what he says with a sincere open heart.

And always being careful from His principles never to depart. (RP)

We appreciate prayer for my brother Harold who today is having more surgery related to kidney stones. This is the third time, I believe, he has had to do this in just a few weeks. Pray the doctors will have wisdom to solve the problem. Margie is preparing food for our after church meal tomorrow at the church. This is Missions Month at church and we are having an all church dinner after the morning service. One of our members is roasting a pig for the event. We also attend the 95th birthday celebration of our good friend Ione Beyerlin today at the Ferndale Senior Activity Center. Her family is here from various places to help with the celebration. Thanks for praying. 

IT'S HERE

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. Romans 3:20

No one is saved by observing the law; there is a much better way,

The law makes us aware of our sinful state, but leaves us in dismay.

We are told the law is our schoolmaster introducing us to Christ,

We discovered this marvelous gift, and accepted without being enticed. (RP)

We are always glad for Friday because it's Bible study time at the Ferndale Activity Center. We think it is one of the most important ACTIVITIES there. We are thankful for those who attend. We are sorry one of our members is very ill today and we are praying for him. He is our daughter-in-law's uncle, Dick Hanowell. Thank you for praying 

GOOD NEWS CLUB

Psalm 31:3 

For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me.

In a world of shaky foundations, we are glad for a safe and secure place,

This place is in Jesus our Lord and we have it because of His grace.

A rock and a fortress strong, is our Lord for His children each day,

When things around us are crumbling, we know with Him all is okay.

Our prayer today and always is: Lord lead me and guide me your way,

And may I ever be careful, to rightfully keep You in my life on display. (RP)

Our church is sponsoring a Good News Club under the auspices of Child Evangelism Fellowship. One of our elders teaches in the school where it is held. We have a great team which each Thursday afternoon is there to brighten the day of some 20 students who attend. Please pray for this outreach ministry of our church, Thanks for praying. 

ACTIVITY

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:2

Christian, do you love God's book the Bible; do you delight in it each day?

If you do God blesses richly, and for sure you'll be lead along His way.

When you read this precious Book, and meditate on each thought therein,

It will thrill your soul completely and you will breathe heartily and give a grin.

This Word read with dedication will be your comfort in sleepless nights,

It consoles all along your journey, in the valleys and in the heights.  (RP)

There is a lot of activity around here this morning. This is Wednesday and that is almost always wash day. So that means I changed the sheets. In between washings, I am working on this blog and our web site, and Margie is making her famous chocolate sauce. Tonight we take it and ice cream for a meeting we attend. The weatherman told us this morning that more wind and rain is coming, probably tomorrow. Right now the sun is shining brightly. Thanks for praying. 

FOOT DOCTOR

Philippians 2:3-4 

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

God has a special word for us about what we think of others,

Perhaps you have another idea, and you call it your druthers.

We better not have selfish ambition when it comes to living life,

Cause so often this mind-set brings trouble and some great strife.

Conceited minds do awful things, so please take a lowly view,

Don't think you are better than others; you have some learning to do.

Start looking out for others, and the things they have interest in,

The results are rewarding and in personal relationships you will win. (RP)

This morning Margie sees the foot doctor. Then I go to the church office and stay for several  hours. Tonight I have an elders meeting. So I guess the day will be pretty busy. Yesterday's trip to the retina specialist went well. The big storm which never hi our area is the talk of the town. We are thankful the Lord diverted it our to sea and it dissipated. Thanks for praying. 

RETINA SPECIALST

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.Proverbs 17:22

We can go through life two ways: dejected or delighted,

The best way is God's way and this is one that's excited.

A cheery heart does its owner good; it's the best way to go,

And we would never want to change nor that attitude outgrow. (RP)

This morning I take Margie to the Retina specialist. As I mentioned yesterday, the high wind storm never threatened us like they predicted.  Today we are getting rain. We are used to that. Yesterday was a good day at church. We had a quiet afternoon and enjoyed a Christian program also on TV. Thanks for praying. 

WE MADE IT

Psalm 39:5 

Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.

Sometimes people say it glibly, life is so very short,

The Bible tells us that its meaning we should not distort.

To God, our age is nothing;our preparation for life is now,

Being saved and heaven-bound is what we should avow.

God sees our life as a vapor; it passes away very soon,

Even with Christ in our lives, from death we are not immune,

But with Him as our Savior, our future is completely His care,

We face every day with a smile, and death does not bring a scare.(RP)

I say we made it because by this morning we were supposed to be in one of the worst storms that has ever hit this area. Maybe that will come later, but as of now it has not happened. So we plan on going down the hill to church in a couple of hours. We look forward to the services today. As mentioned last week, we are in a month-long mission emphasis in our church. It has been a blessing. We trust your day goes well. Our son Rawlie is with us. He returns to his home and church this morning after breakfast. Thanks for praying. 

GENERATOR

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.Gal 6:7

Remember self deception plays some awful tricks on us.

Because we think we are alone, but really God sees all.

And what we do is seen by Him and what we say He hears.

Sowing and reaping go hand in hand and soon the verdict will fall. (RP)

Yesterday was quite a day!  Our Bible class went well, although the attendance was down some. In the afternoon the winds picked up more and there were quite a few outages around Ferndale. Eventually our lights went out. I went to get more gasoline, in case the storm increases (which they say it will), then started up our generator. It is very nice having power. We take so much for granted, don't we? Today more strong winds are predicted. We are ready. Our son is here. Yesterday our grandson dropped by for a visit also. That was nice. Thanks for praying. 

POWER OUTAGES

2 Corinthians 13:14 

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

Three things God wants us to have; do you have them?

They are valuable indeed and each one is considered a gem.

Receive God's grace by trusting Him; this is the first thing to do,

This act of faith gets you born again, but you still are not through.

God wants to pour His love into you; accept this free gift today,

Then you will be blessed and ready to go; do it without delay.

Communion of the Holy Spirit results; you'll never be the same,

Your heart will be filled with joy, and His love you want to proclaim. (RP)

The predicted wind arrived last night, but not as hard as they forecast. That will happen tonight, they say. Already quite a few power outages have been reported on the radio this morning. More rain and high winds are our portion for today. Unless there is a power failure, our Bible class will be held this morning. We look forward to it. Thanks for praying. 

WIND STORM

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

There is something transparent about love, I agree,

When you give it to others everybody will see.

As disciples of Jesus this is really our call,

Love the brethren and for it you will stand tall. 

God's Spirit empowers us to obey this command,

And when done His way you will soon understand. (RP)

The weatherman has been talking about high winds for a couple of days. This morning it started. Earlier it was stronger, but now is more calm. By Saturday, we are told, the winds will be 60 mph or more. I am hoping I will not have to use the generator, but if necessary, it is there to use. Already this morning there are power outages around Lake Whatcom. Thanks for praying. 

REGULAR SCHEDULE

Isaiah 55:6 

Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

Time rushes on in this fast-paced world; what will humanity do?

They are very content as they go along, in everything they pursue.

A call to attention in this His word; Seek Him while He may be found,

Focus only on God and what He will give, for many false offers abound.

God's offer of hope is right here today, and you should take it today,

Receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, and please do not delay. (RP)

A blog can be boring and I'm sure mine is that. Each day our schedule seems to be full.  Early this morning our day started by taking showers, changing sheets on the beds, and now washing clothes. After they are dry, Margie will fold the clothes, unless she is too tired. In that case, I will do it. Margie is working around in the kitchen. Yesterday she did more baking and the bar cookies are the result. They are delicious. We hope your activities today are productive for you. Thanks for praying. 

ELDER MEETING

Ephesians 2:8-9  

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

There is just one way to get saved; these words tell us how,

Just listen to them and accept this beautiful gift right now.

By faith we take what is written here and make it our own,

And by doing this I can assure you, you are never alone. 

All the work in the world will not save you; that is very plain,

And if you were to try it out, your effort would be mundane.

We cannot boast of what God gives, so be content my friend,

Accept the gift of eternal life and always on our God depend. (RP)

Today I will be at the church office for a few hours. I enjoy the time to talk to those who drop in, have prayer, and help in any way I can. I also take advantage of the time to work on lessons and do the prayer sheet for the prayer meeting and Sunday bulletin.  Margie will be here at home. She prepares me an early lunch so I don't have to take it with me. Tonight I will return to the church for a meeting. Thanks for praying. 

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY

1 John 4:1  

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Information flows across our land in endless streams today,

We must be careful and be alert to what each has to say.

Believers are urged not to believe all they hear; test each thing,

We are responsible for listening to what a message may bring.

Let us be quick to test the spirits, to see if they are of God,

Then you will know if their genuine or just another facade.

False prophets abound today; be careful what you hear,

Study God's Word, be informed and you'll have nothing to fear. (RP)

After raining last night, I thought today would be more of the same. Right now it is a bright sunny day. We have plenty to do, and are glad we are able to do it. We are amazed our flowers are still blooming brightly. The rose bush is healthy also and giving us beautiful buds. We hope the deer don't clip them off, like they did last week. We trust your day goes well. Thanks for praying. 

MUFFIN BREAKFAST

Proverbs 19:20-21 

Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days. There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the Lord's counsel-that will stand.

One very wise counsel we all should hear; listen to God each day,

Read the Bible to understand exactly what He wants to convey.

He wants you to be wise both now and when you reach later years,

Keep getting more of it, and never allow yourself to get in arrears.

We all have such flashy plans, and we really want to achieve,

But remember that God's counsel is best, so be ready to receive. (RP)

Today is the second Sunday of our missionary conference. This morning we will meet others for a muffin breakfast.  Several retired missionaries will be there plus the Duryees, who will be speaking today. They are appointees to Spain with A.B.W.E. (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism). We look forward to the blessings of this day. Margie baked the muffins (gluten free). I checked the prices at our local grocery store and all I could find was 4 gluten free muffins for $7.99.  How's that for a "bargain"?.  Trust your Sunday is a blessing to you. Thanks for praying.  

NICE

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD! Psalm 150:6

What a prayer for each one in Christ, this is they way it should be,

Let us all praise the Lord so that others will hear us and see.

If we truly are living for Jesus, our lives will display this too,

And we know that it makes a difference in all that we think and do.

If you have been a little lax in praising the Lord, please begin now,

And keep at it every day of your life and be sure to make this your vow. (RP)

The Bible class was down in number. People are coming and going both with sickness or recreation. We have to expect this in group settings. But our class was pretty well attended, even with several absent. In the evening it was nice to have our son text, telling us he was leaving home coming to our home. This morning he and I will go to Starbucks for breakfast. We trust your day goes well.  Margie will be baking muffins for the missionary muffin breakfast tomorrow. But hers are gluten free for those with special diets. Thanks for praying. 

FAVORITE

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)

Without a doubt today is one of our favorite days. We look forward to the Bible study. The attendance, like church, is off and on. Already we know of five members who cannot be there today. BUT we are more than happy for the ones who do come. Yesterday was a full day, plus Margie had a chiropractic treatment. Her neck was giving her much pain. We had quite a wind storm during the night. It sounded like it took out some of our neighbor's plastic shelter which allowed them to paint their house during this inclement weather. We trust your day is going okay. Thanks for praying. 

SURPRISE

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

When we sin against others, James instruct us here, on what we ought to do,

We should go to them and confess our wrongs and see our problem through.

Prayer for each other is a must you see, for by it many hurts are healed,

And as we do, we give proof to our friend, that to God we submit and yield.

As Christians, we all have the duty to pray, and our heavenly Father repays,

By giving results to the prayers of His saints and we marvel at His loving displays.

My audiologist informed me that the warranty on my hearing devices was coming to an end and if I wanted to renew it, please let her know.  I guess there is not much to decide. The devices were very costly and not to renew would be foolish.  We had a very busy day yesterday and today will be less, but nevertheless plenty active. Maybe by the weekend things will calm down a bit. We hope your day goes well. Thanks for praying. 

THREE THINGS

Ps 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

Near to You we want to be as we walk this earthly path,

Please help  us obey Your  commands and readily give You all,

Humbly we go in submission each day and learn to call upon You

 Your grace sufficient will abound to us and we’ll have blessing both large and small. (RP)

Margie goes to the therapist this morning. they are trying to get more strength into her arms so her shoulder will not hurt so much.  We have to do some shopping in the afternoon and meet some people at 5. Then if time permits go to the school where our church is in charge of the after school Bible club and have prayer for the club that starts tomorrow afternoon.  So it is a full day. Thanks for praying. 

MISSIONARY MEETING

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.

We talk to people about Jesus, and some just don't understand,

And we realize right away that a better explanation is their demand.

We know that the natural man cannot comprehend spiritual things,

We pray that God will instruct them, and tune their spiritual strings,

Unless this happens foolishness prevails: nothing makes sense,

Our words to them are like animals fighting to get out of the fence.

Thank God the Holy Spirit reveals His Word to those who want to hear,

And Jesus He reveals to the hungry heart and takes away all fear. (RP)

I spend a few hours at the church this morning, being available in case my help is needed. I enjoy the time and take advantage of it by doing the weekly prayer sheet while there. Then I leave a bit early, pick Margie up at home, then stop to bring Laurel Hicks with us to church for the missionary meeting. After that we drop by Walgreens to take advantage of their first of the month 20% discount for seniors. We hope you have a great day. Thanks for praying. 

AHEAD

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.1 Timothy 6:6-8

Oh what an attribute contentment is today; it is in great demand,

It really is a rare commodity, and that is very easy to understand.

If a person has food and clothing, you would think he'd be content,

But unfortunately for some even this causes some discontent.

One thing is sure: godliness with contentment is great gain,

So if you are contented, please never murmur or complain. (RP)

Here it is Monday and now we look ahead at our schedule to see what we must do this week. Margie's appointments, at least the main ones, are toward the middle of the month. This week she will see the therapist.  I keep ahead, as much as I can, on study preparation for the Genesis class at Bible study on Fridays. We trust your day goes well. Thanks so much for praying. 

MISSIONARY MONTH

I will remember the works of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. 

Psalm 77:11

Memory is a wonderful thing; God gave us this precious gift,

And when we think of those wondrous things we will not drift.

Memories take us to distant times; they are special indeed,

Each one has helped us along the way; to this we are agreed.

The month of October is Missions Month. We have the privilege of hearing missionaries each Sunday School and morning service during the month. We look forward to this. Today we have George and Shirley Weber, who worked in Bangladesh and the Association of Baptist for World Evangelism. We look forward to their ministry. We were in the same mission agency and remember them from years ago. It will be great to see and hear them today. Thanks for praying.

FAMILY

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)

Our family is here in Ferndale. They are busy and we may not get to see much of them. Rawlie spent the night here and we went for coffee this morning. It was nice to spend time with him. His family arrived later and he and Nathan will be looking over the projects they have in the house downtown.  Everyone seems to keep busy. Margie is in the kitchen doing some baking and preparing lunch. I am doing work on our books and advance preparations for Genesis study. We trust your day goes well. Thanks for praying.