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Our Daily Thread 1-15-13

Good Morning!

What’s on your mind?

Although we don’t celebrate it until Monday, today is the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quote of the Day

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without  breathing.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

47 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 1-15-13”

  1. Thanks for all the birthday wishes yesterday! (I just got on today to read them all.) I had a reasonably good day at work, which for me means having some interesting problems to work on. My speech at Toastmasters went well (I was voted “best” out of the evening’s two speakers) despite my mind going blank in the middle of it – I not only forgot what to say next, I forgot what I had just said and couldn’t go on until I figured out where I was in my speech. And I played Scrabble with my husband and younger son after dinner, which I always enjoy.

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  2. Pauline was first at 7:17?
    Where is everybody?
    This one was lazy. Actually, he was awake for a couple of hours in the middle of the night and then slept late.

    Tammy, it appears that you aren in an intractible situation that only the Lord can correct. If you maintain a relationshp with this woman, you need to realize that this is a defensive response by a woman who apparently doesn’t have any other support. That means, (as our pastor said last Sunday), “a thick skin and a tender heart”. Realize that it is what it is and deal with it.
    For years at work, I was in situations that could have agitated me and caused ulcers. However, I decided early on that I wasn’t going to get emotionally envolved over technical matters. Losing your cool makes you a loser.
    Her daughter needs yours and you. The lady likely needs you.
    Nevertheless, you don’t have a responsibility to ruin your health and family because of her.
    If you can deal with it, fine.
    If not, you need to drop her. Other people need you too.

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  3. Chas, thank you for these words of wisdom: “I decided early on that I wasn’t going to get emotionally envolved over technical matters. Losing your cool makes you a loser.” I especially need it today.

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  4. Am not up-to-date with all the comments from yesterday, so excuse me if someone else mentioned this.

    The other day, there was a question about whether or not to disable Java. Here’s a new article on the matter…

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/oracle-patches-java-but-concerns-remain/2013/01/14/170df924-5e8a-11e2-9940-6fc488f3fecd_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

    “Oracle delivered an unusual emergency patch to its ubiquitous Java software Sunday to fix a malicious bug that allowed hackers access to users’ Web browsers. But some security experts continued to warn users Monday to stay away amid lingering concerns about the company’s ability to react quickly to security problems.

    “The latest security hole came to light last week after the Department of Homeland Security raised an alarm about the security hole. Even after Oracle released the patch, the agency recommended that users disable Java “unless it is absolutely necessary,” citing continuing problems with the program’s overall security.”

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  5. Tammy, here’s my two-cents worth. If you are asked to meet with the Pastor or a moderator, ask him to set the ground-rule at the beginning that the discussion is ONLY about the issue at hand and to enforce it during the conversation.

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  6. How about a QoD: Since my Spanish 1 students are learning the family vocabulary, this will be a question they’ll get soon- Who is your favorite relative and why? (Let’s say, for this blog, your favorite other than your spouse.)

    My favorite (other than Mrs L) would be my sister. Though she can be critical, it is more like iron sharpening iron than fingernails scratching metal. She is the one who introduced my brothers and me to the Lord.

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  8. Kim, I thought I’d replied right away but I don’t see my message there, so I must have done something wrong. Is that this weekend? I apologize that I lost track of the date.

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  9. Good morning all!

    Advice from my MIL many years ago. If you miss a day or two of your Bible reading, start again where you “should” be and catch up on the missed ones when you have time to do so. That way your Bible reading will not be stressed or rushed, and feel as if you ‘have’ to do it.

    We came within a mm of hitting a deer last night and by being rear-ended by the guy who was following too closely behind us. God and my husband’s driving skills were amazing! 🙂 All of the groceries wound up right behind our seats and out of their bags! Good thing we didn’t have Keva along or he would have been in the front seat with us!

    Tammy, I feel for you in your situation. Matthew 18 does have an order in which to deal with these things. First it’s one on one. Then it’s take 2 or 3 with you. THEN it’s go to the church. I think it’s important to not skip any of the steps.

    I think we’re going to start ripping up the kitchen floor today to reveal the hardwood! yay! It’s going to be a lot of work however.

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  11. If you have a top load washer, lower the lid gently every time. Twelve years of letting it drop will break the safety switch under the lid. It will cost $146 to repair.

    But we got an additional fix with it. Elvera kept saying her dryer doesn’t turn off and she has to use the stove timer to remind her to turn off the dryer. Turns out, it does, she had the “Wrinkle Shield” on and it kept turning even after the heat goes off.

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  13. I’m rebuilding a paint pump today. I now have lots of grease under my fingernails. And I don’t have all the parts I need, so it won’t get completed today. I sure would like to be done. I hate getting this dirty. 😦

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  15. Is that a fair question? Which is your favorite relative?

    I may get to go hiking today with ONE of my favorite relatives. Do you think a strong willed, tall, able 3 year old can hike two miles?

    That’s after I get through Job 4-10 in one easy hour!

    I have company for the week; everything feel scrambled at my house!

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  17. Another possible Question of the Day: What has been your favorite Christian conference you have attended?

    Last spring I went to a WMU (Baptist Women’s Missionary Union) conference that was exceptional. Anne Graham Lotz was the keynote speaker. One of Henry Blackaby’s sons was there with his wife. Several other wonderful speakers presented very inspirational talks. The music was great! Since I had never before been to a women’s Christian conference, just to hear all the women singing together was really special.I also loved being with the super group of ladies from my church.

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  18. Chas, my dryer won’t turn off anymore either, but it’s old and I doubt I have anything called a “wrinkle shield). I’ll have to check. And I’ll try to to slam the top of the washer next time I use it. 😉

    Kare2012, I agree with the Bible reading, better to start where you’re supposed to be and catch up with the missed portions later. In the past I would always try to go back, but it never worked that well. I wound up always behind then.

    I slept forever last night and had the strangest dream that the new neighbors somehow didn’t get the house so they were going to move in with me. I didn’t apparently have any choice in this — and I wasn’t upset, just wondering how to accommodate a couple and an 8-year-old girl in my very small house with only 1 bathroom.

    The plus side was that the man said he loved to garden and would fix up the backyard. 🙂 So it wasn’t all bad.

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  19. Favorite Christian conference was some years ago (10?) — in Dallas, a Ligonier conference where the speakers included RC Sproul, John Piper and Chuck Colson. Loved the singing there, too, you always have such a strong male turnout at Ligonier conferences and it’s refreshing to hear all those strong male voices all around. 🙂

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  22. kare, Tammy isn’t the one who brought the pastor in; the other woman did. And I think bringing in one person (even if he’s the pastor) as a mediator is a little different from those steps of “take it to the church.”

    Many years ago I went to a women’s retreat hosted by my church. I rode to it and back with three women, none of whom I’d met before–a middle-aged woman and her (divorced) mother and an older woman who didn’t have English as a first language and didn’t talk much.

    So we “saw” each other for the 90-minute or two-hour drive to the retreat, and then at the two-day retreat. We weren’t exactly best friends by the end of it; I still barely knew them. In fact, at the retreat the topic of exercise came up, and I admitted to not getting enough, and one of these women really badgered me about it. (The daughter of the mother/daughter pair.) She was so strong that one of the other women told her to leave it alone.

    Then on the way home, that same woman decided it was her duty to talk me into letting her find me a husband, or at least talk me into doing a drop-everything-and-find-him-myself search. Her mother joined in a bit too, and the third woman occasionally, but mostly it was that one woman. I asked her to change the subject repeatedly. I finally yelled at her (very, very rare for me), asking her to please drop the subject, and then saying loudly, but distinctly (one word at a time), “God has not promised me a mate.” Basically I’m OK with singleness; if God brings me a husband, that is fine too. But to start going to bars and parties to find a spouse, no. Not interested. She would not drop it. All the way home she talked about it. When we got to my house, she hugged me (I had no desire to hug her back) and told me she’d take me out to find me a man, don’t worry.

    I’d never seen the woman at church before, so I had no idea how much I’d run into her in the future. (She was obviously a new or irregular attender; we only had about 250 people, not big enough to have us both be regulars and never see each other.) But I realized I simply could not deal with running into her again. I think I called her to ask her to back off, and she started it up again. So next thing I did was call my pastor’s wife (who’d stuck up for me at the retreat) and ask her to meet with both of us, which she agreed to. I really don’t think the woman ever “got” how very out of line she was to pester a virtual stranger after I had repeatedly told her I was not interested and asked her to change the subject, and tried myself to change the subject or simply not talk at all. But she was told clearly in that meeting to leave me alone, not bring up the subject again, and she did apologize. (I say she didn’t “get it” because immediately after she apologized, she told me now I needed to apologize too, because I had yelled at her. I told her that yes, I had raised my voice for two sentences: “Could we please change the subject” and “God has not promised me a mate,” but that those sentences were not attacking her, and I saw no need to apologize. I don’t think she agreed, but that was that.)

    Honestly I don’t see much “hope” of this woman changing. But with a meeting with the pastor, she at least has an opportunity to repent. If she doesn’t take it, that is her loss.

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  23. QoD: Other than my husband, I’m relatively sure I don’t have a favorite relative 😉

    AQoD: The only conference I’ve attended was a pro-life conference put on by our church synod. Cal Thomas was the keynote speaker. After the conference was over, I went to the vendor hall and walked over to his table where he had books, tapes and such on display. While I was waiting in line, looking at the display of products, he very robustly said “Hello” to me, calling me by my name (everyone was wearing name tags) before I had even glanced up at him! Took me rather by surprise (!), but we had a very nice conversation about pro-life issues, the importance of having Christians in journalism, and I don’t remember what else. Very enjoyable and memorable meeting him!

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  25. Hey, I told you guys I was half-asleep.

    Sorry to both of you for the mixup. Is anyone else offended or insulted by my error?

    If so, let me know. I’ve got an “I’m sorry you were offended” apology around here somewhere that I’ve been dying to use.

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  26. I have favorite relatives for different things. 🙂

    My daughter is the person I want to hang with for shopping and for fashion advice and for painting nails, and for talking about the opposite sex. She’s fun and chatty (and only almost 13!), but we have a great “girly” relationship. 🙂

    My middle son is great for being with when there is something to be done. He will work hard and help me out. He is compassionate, and is actually pretty good (for a male) at comforting me when things aren’t going well.

    My oldest is who I would turn to as a favorite for talking theology or worldview. He has very deep thoughts, and is an interesting person. We can talk for hours about various books or authors or ideas.

    My Mom is who I turn to for comfort and sharing of my innermost thoughts. She is a good listener and she almost always makes me feel better. I know she’s going to take my side (unless it is an issue between siblings!), and she’s my number one (and pretty much only) cheerleader.

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  27. Faves are hard to do. Hubby is my fave today, but it is our 30th wedding anniversary. Like Tammy I have favorite relatives for different things. Surfing is by little bro. Skiing is my older sister. Cooking is my middle daughter. Hiking is my oldest son . . .

    Fave conference? I have to break that down between ones I’ve spoken at and ones where someone else does. Wait that could be both, the International Sports Coalition Conference every year in Florida. Christians from over 120 countries that want to change their world for Christ.

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  30. Favorite relatives? My husband, of course. 😛

    I can’t “pick favorites” between the girls, so I’ll go with my favorite brother. When I was a little girl, I thought he hung the moon. He’s 11 1/2 years older than me, and he went to college a little before he turned 17 (he has a December birthday), so he was out of the house when I was still very little. But he was my hero. He had my kindergarten portrait in his wallet. When he came to visit me at my grade school one day, I was so proud to have my brother who was in college come to my school. He was a children’s pastor at his church after he graduated and moved back to Phoenix (he didn’t live with us at that point), and periodically he would bring treats to us children–half of a giant cookie, toys he bought for the children (glow in the dark animals, suction cup rockets, etc.). I have a family photo of all seven of us taken when I was four or five; I am sitting on his lap and I look so proud.

    When I got married, he walked me down the aisle.

    When his first wife died of cancer, I drove over to see them repeatedly. People at their church expressed surprise that I was his sister and not hers, since she talked about Cheryl with such affection. She invited me to all their children’s birthday gatherings, to Thanksgiving, and more; and each year she drove to Nashville for my birthday and took me out to lunch.

    He and I have multiple common interests. Besides both being Christians, we both love books, animals, and children; and we’ve used some of those loves to make a living and others to make hobbies. He’s a published author, too, and eventually he started seeing me as something more than his “baby” sister and started being able to come to me for professional advice. When his wife was dying, I think I was able to comfort him in a way few others could–he had to be strong for his wife and children, and he could cry with me. (Undoubtedly he cried with them as well, but I know he took comfort in my presence.)

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  31. I’ve got an “I’m sorry you were offended” apology around here somewhere that I’ve been dying to use.

    Can’t be as good as one Drill would write. No offense, I hope. Where is Drill anyway?

    Adios- Felicitous Remembrance of your Nuptials!

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  35. Thanks all! I made Mr. Adios a nice dinner. We are celebrating in full later this month in Idaho. We are going to George Strait’s The Cowboy Rides Away Farwell Tour. Martina McBride is opening for him. How could that not be a great evening.

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  36. Nice post (18:13), Cheryl.

    Happy Anniversary Adios!

    Long day at work, walked the dogs as soon as I got home (if I sit down first it’s always much harder to get motivated!). Out the door we went, I didn’t even take my jacket off.

    Almost all the Christmas lights in the neighborhood are gone now — the only ones I still saw tonight were on a tall, outdoor evergreen tree in front of someone’s house (and yes, they were lit up tonight).

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  38. Yes? Like the guy said, the second amendment is for the people to be able to defend themselves against the government should it turn on them.

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  39. Hey, Mumsee. 🙂 It’s late. Almost 9 p.m. in the (wild) west.

    Tomorrow the president lays out his gun program. Or anti-gun program.

    I’m not entirely opposed to some restrictions, but I just don’t think it solves the problem. I also can see the “slippery slope” aspect of it all.

    Strange (maybe even scary) times.

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  40. Like I mentioned, the right to bear arms is not just for hunting and property protection. The reasoning was written out quite plainly that the people should have the same weaponry available to them as the government does.

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  42. It’s the late-night show with Donna and Mumsee…

    except I’m thinking Mumsee has probably gone to bed by now.

    Donna, we still haven’t taken down our Christmas things. We were going to last week (I like to wait until at least Epiphany before taking them down), but my husband said he wanted to leave them up a while longer because he hadn’t had much time to enjoy the lights and all. So we left everything up.

    Then one string of lights in the middle of our tree (inside) burned out a couple days later. Then over the weekend, a string toward the bottom burned out. The tree is looking a little sad, so I asked hubby today if he minded if we took down the things now, and he said that was fine.

    Tonight’s the last night our tree and everything will be up, then tomorrow it’s back to…what? We’ll see what we come up with for room arrangement, decor, etc. Fun! 🙂

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  44. If we have to overturn the government, I’m afraid all I have are 2 border collies (who love all people) and 1 weird cat. I’m a horrible shot.

    Oh wait, I have the pen. The power of the pen (or computer), remember? 🙂

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