JOYBELLS

I Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 

Temptations assail us day by day and all are prone to fall,

But remember there's help from God above if we will upon Him call.

All temptations are common to man and God knows this very well,

And has promised help for all if we just go to Him and tell.

God with temptations makes escapes so believers can endure,

And looking back upon the scene we know we are secure. (RP)

Spring is beautiful. This rose purchased the day our daughter Joy died, is a constant reminder of God's beauty in nature. Margie picked it out and it has been a winner ever since. I always called her JOYBELLS. Every year I rejoice to see it spring to life.  I pray your day will be as refreshing as this rose, as you go about your duties.  I am making some significant changes to my feeding routine, which I will report on later. Thanks for praying.

SORRY FOR DELAY

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.2Co 8:9

We're told in simple words right here, what Jesus did for us,

And how He came from Heaven's heights, so rich and then made poor.

And when I claim Him as my own He gives me all His wealth.

And shows me from His word each day in Him I'm so secure. (RP)

Friday my home phone and modem went dead, so I have been unable to use the computer to do this blog util today. Comcast came yesterday and put in a new modem. Now it all works well. I am thankful. I appreciate your prayers as I adjust to dropping off one of my feeding times on the Peg-tube.  We are trying to ingest,via mouth, some semi-solid nutrition. I will be in contact with the nurse and dietitian to assure  I am doing things correctly. Thanks for your prayers. 

MILESTONE

For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.  Philip.1:11

It’s hard to learn this lesson, Lord for we who are so weak,

But give us faith & courage, Your will to always seek. (RP)

Yesterday at swallow and speech therapy, I was given my first solid food since my surgery. It is the first time this kind of nutrition has entered my mouth since November,2017. I will tell you, it is new, and I will have to get used to it. Please pray as I break into this new regimen, that I will do it right. There are many foods I CANNOT have at this juncture, and I will have to learn how to cut down on my nutritional packets that go through the Peg-tube. We have not done a new swallow test, so at this point we still do not know if liquids are being aspirated into my lungs. Thanks for praying. 

START AGAIN

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

God is special in making pure hearts, and those who agree are blessed,By receiving Jesus as Lord of their lives, and finding perfect rest.When Jesus purifies the heart, one is clean indeed,And secure in Jesus is the best place of all and surely will succeed. (RP)

This afternoon I start my swallow therapy sessions again. Things were on hold while awaiting authorization from insurance to approve them. I will be interested in what the therapist does. I know that one of these days a new swallow test will be ordered. All I know is that I have done my homework faithfully since the first day I was assigned these special procedures to strengthen my swallow muscles. And there are several of them. I can tell by my throat when I swallow, that things are different than they were before, so we pray it is all working out OK. I will be teaching the Bible class this morning also. Thanks for praying.

CALL ME LAZY

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

God's Book the Bible stand the test no matter what may come,

It's powerfully strong for any life and it makes no difference where you're from.

This living Book, this instrument strong knows how to pierce a soul,

And all who wmbrace its teachings, the Lord will make them whole (RP).

You will have to call me lazy.  My speech & swallow therapist has me on cream of wheat and mashed potatoes and gravy. Only about 2 or 3 ounces each time I ingest them. Well I was getting my gravy from the deli part of the grocery store, but it was too strong for my taste buds, so I thought I better not do it. I tried the package gravy and they are actually pretty good. But yesterday I asked the clerk if they had it already prepared. I purchased two kinds of it, one in a glass jar, but frankly it did not taste good either. And I am not a fussy guy on food. I will probably go back to the package ones. Now you know why the title of today's blog (lazy).  I was just trying to find an easier way to do it. I found yogurt that didn't have pieces of rough fruit in it, so that was a great discovery and so enjoyable to eat. Thanks, dear friends, for your prayers. 

TIME

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life inn Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23

Sin has a price tag that is awful indeed,

And those who ignore it are in desperate need.

God provided forgiveness through Jesus His son,

And when you receive it, the battle is done. (RP)

Time is a valuable commodity. We all need it, but we seem to have difficulty getting completed all that we desire to do in a certain amount of time. Maybe it is because of my surgery and subsequent recovery, that I have been made so aware of how important time is.  I remember the adage, "A women's work is never done".  For some men it must also apply.  I am sure the underlying reasons differ. Oh well, I'll just keep on trying to get done what I am supposed to do.  I am so far behind today, I do not see any way to recover, but that does not slow me down. I will now go get the washing done, my shoulder therapy started, do more for the Friday Bible class, and study more for a message. Thank YOU for praying. I appreciate it.

LEARNING PROCESS

John 3:36  "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

To believe in Jesus is a command from God, and the benefit is great,

Eternal life is for those who obey,so it is very wise not to wait.

Those who disobey God's command experience His wrath upon them,

They will never see life eternal and the future for them is dim. (RP)

I am learning much as I get acquainted with all the ins and outs of life on Peg-tube feeding. Some are surprised to learn I do it myself. I had a good teacher, my son, who first did it upon discharge from the hospital. Soon after that, I said I was ready to take it over.  It is a process that some day I will outline on the blog. There is never a dull moment, that is for sure. It seems I am always learning new tricks to make the process easier. Yesterday I got a good start to work on the church prayer sheet, and also my next lesson in I John at the Senior Center. Thanks for your prayer support.