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Our Daily Thread 6-7-14

Good Morning!

On this day in 1776 Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed to the Continental Congress a resolution calling for a Declaration of Independence. 

In 1892 J.F. Palmer patented the cord bicycle tire. 

In 1942 the Battle of Midway ended.  

In 1955 “The $64,000 Question” premiered. 

And in 1966 Sony Corporation unveiled its brand new consumer home videotape recorder. The black and white only unit sold for $995. 

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Quote of the Day

“One disadvantage of being a hog is that at any moment some blundering fool may try to make a silk purse out of your wife’s ear.”

J. B. Morton

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Today is Tom Jones’ birthday.

And it’s Wynn Stewart’s too. From GatorRock788

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Anyone have a QoD?

62 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 6-7-14”

  3. Good evening, Jo. I was surprised by the early availability of posting to the new day.

    Beautiful, beautiful flower! Praises due to our Master Gardener Supreme.

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  7. Emily thought I was still sleeping, so, before she left for school, she told Forrest to go back to bed. He did, & he went back to sleep! So Chrissy & I have a little break before our all-day babysitting begins. 🙂

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  9. Nice to have an early unexpected break, Karen. Enjoy Forest today. It sounds like a wonderful day to me. Have you ever let him help you make crock pot soup? Use alphabet pasta, tomato soup, like Campbell’s, and whatever other ingredients you like. Boil the pasta and drain it. He can put all the ingredients in the pot so he can feel pride in making it. It is an easy, fun and productive activity for that age. You may get him to try some different foods if he “cooks” them himself.

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  10. Janice – Emily often has Forrest help out in the kitchen. He loves to help at anything that needs doing – cooking, vacuuming, dusting – but especially outside work.

    Yesterday he came in from being out with his mommy to find me dusting. Disappointed to be missing the fun, he said, “Awww, I wanna do what you’re doing.” So he ran off to get a towel to dust with. 🙂

    Here he is! He’s awake now. Time to go! Have a great day, y’all!

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  11. In 1955 “The $64,000 Question” premiered.

    I have often wondered why $64,000 and not something like 50,000 or 100,000.

    No fishing for me, ever. Since my Dad grew up in NYC, the only fishing he ever did was putting chewing gum on the end of a stick and fishing coins out of the subway vents. He and his friends would use the money to go to the movies. This was the 1930s, when he would see a show, get a hot dog and a soda, and only spend 25¢. Yeah, you can’t get much for a quarter anymore.

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  12. I forgot to add- since my dad never went fishing, he never took us. So I never learned how to catch fish or clean them.

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  13. Peter, before the days of television, there used to be a radio quiz show called “The 64 dollar question”. The jackpot was $64.00. It went progressively, 2, 4, 8,16, 32, 64 dollars. Trivial money today, but not then.
    A couple of things came from that program. A cliché concerning a tough decision was, “that’s the sixty four dollar question”.
    Sometimes, when a contestant decided to go for the final $64 rather than take the $32 and run, someone in the audience would holler, “You’ll be sorry”. And that also became a common expression for what someone thinks is a bad decision.

    $64 had to be changed to make it exciting for the 1955 audience. It isn’t trivial today, but in 1955, it was a big pile of money.

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  14. I never heard of fishing coins out of subway vents.
    I remember when a guy and I stole some soft drink bottles from under a lady’s house and cashed them in for the two cent deposit on each bottle. We got enough to go to a movie. Movies cost eight cents in those days.

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  15. Janice, last night you said, “Cheryl, from what you wrote it sounds like God is a bit impersonal. I believe He is involved at the detail level of our lives and that does not trivialize Him, but makes Him all-knowing, all-caring and all-loving. He is the God who counts the hairs on our heads. To me that makes Him be bigger than a God who is only concerned on the larger major issues of life. Where do you think He draws the line as far as what He stoops to care about? Jesus stooped to wash the feet of the disciples and he came down to earth as a helpless baby. Our God is a personal God. His creation is so detailed in design. That is another way to see He is in on the little things. Maybe I am misunderstanding your point of view or why you make God sound impersonal.”

    Yes, I do think you misunderstood me. I never said God doesn’t care about the little things or doesn’t get involved in the little things. Scripture itself tells us He knows when a mere sparrow falls to the ground dead, and He knows each hair on our head.

    But that’s not the same thing, at all, as saying that we need to ask for His guidance on every trivial decision we make–or that we should expect such guidance if we ask for it. Let’s give a ludicrous example to make the point. Let’s say you usually buy Crest whitening toothpaste, 6.0 ounces. You go to the store and find that the 6.0 ounce tube is now only 5.7 ounces, but they also have an 8.4 ounce tube. But in a different version of Crest they still have the 6.0 ounce tube. Further, Colgate has a whitening toothpaste that’s a little bit cheaper, and the store brand is cheaper still. How do you decide which to buy? Most of us would think it isn’t that important a decision; just choose one and buy it. Technically you could ask God for guidance on which one to buy. God does indeed tell us that if anyone lacks wisdom, we can ask for it. But is that really about asking which tube of toothpaste to buy? Saying “no” isn’t saying that God doesn’t care about the little things in our lives. We’ve all heard stories about a time when someone has no more money and cries out to God, and next thing they know there’s an anonymous package on the front porch containing groceries, and even including a bar of their favorite chocolate and a tube of the toothpaste they use. Yes, God knows about the little things in our lives. He uses all things, not just the big things, together for good in our lives. But He has told us how to make decisions and “sit around asking for permission to do everything you do” just isn’t on that list. I mean, technically we could stand in the bathroom waiting to brush our teeth until God tells us how much toothpaste to put on the brush. But that would actually be disobedience, not faith, since that isn’t how God told us to live our lives.

    I pointed out yesterday that the vast majority of times we hear “God told me to do this,” it’s about something with which we might reasonably have a discussion, but that statement short-circuits conversation. I even read in some book about a girl who was told by God as a young teen that she would someday marry a specific man who was quite a few years older than she was. As she got to know the man in the years ahead, she’d sometimes hear other girls say, “God told me to marry that man,” but she was smug, knowing that God actually told her that, and so the other girls wouldn’t be marrying him. Well, she did marry him . . . but how many other girls were just as sure that God had spoken? And how many people have completely ignored the counsel of wiser people because they are so sure God has spoken? People excuse outright sin, come up with bad theology, and make bad decisions without seeking further counsel, all because of a belief that a personal, specific word from God is somehow better and more personal than what He has already given, His Word. To me, that trivializes God, makes Him into our own personal fortune-teller. He has already told us much about how to make decisions; He has already given us His Word; and He has already given us His Son.

    No, I don’t believe in an impersonal God. I believe in a God who redeemed us with the life of His own Son, adopted us into His family, gave us the church as our new family, promised us eternity, works all of life for our ultimate good, gives us many good gifts each day (including each sunrise and sunset), answers our prayers, gave us his written Word, and much more. To say He “has to” give us more than this or He isn’t “personal” seems to me rather insulting. God never did speak one on one to very many people. That didn’t make His love for them less. He spoke to the prophets and they spoke for Him–and what He said to them has been collected for all of us. And now we live in a day this side of Jesus’ life and death, and we have His complete Word, and in our very own personal copy. And we think we need more?

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  16. Good morning! Lazy day around here…I woke up too early, but feel fine, so all is well. Becca came down around 7:00 and snuggled in my lap for about an hour while I continued to drink coffee. It was nice–lots of warm fuzzies to start my day! I love that she still wants to sit in my lap and cuddle. Won’t be long now before she thinks she’s “too big” for that. Scott & Becca made a date last night to go get breakfast tacos at Taco Cabana this morning. They left about thirty minutes ago. L. is still sleeping; I doubt we’ll see her much before 10:30. She had a rough day emotionally yesterday. It’s hitting her really hard that she’ll no longer be attending school with the majority of her friends (there are two friends who will attend Concordia) and that her junior high career is over. Also, one of her close friends is moving to Louisiana today, which is hard. She came home from an end-of-school-year party last night and immediately went to her room, which was odd. I went upstairs to check on her and found her bawling (she rarely cries). I tried to comfort her, but have no idea if I was successful or not. She’ll be fifteen in September and life just seems to be such an intense experience at that age. Things are felt so extremely. She’s a wonderful kid–I love her fiercely. I just pray I can protect her from some of life’s ugliness a little longer… As embarrassing as this is to admit, I think Taylor Swift’s “Fifteen” would be an appropriate link here–though we’re not dealing with dating just yet….

    Peter: I’d encourage you to try fishing sometime. I’m not much of an outdoorsman, but I enjoy it. Of course, my husband baits the hook, takes the fish off and cleans them, so I’ve got it pretty easy…But, it’s fun! Becca loves to fish and she’s become quite proficient at casting and setting the hook. She’ll do it for hours alongside her daddy. Normally, she’s a pretty active kid, but she’ll sit for hours and fish. And, oh! How delicious is a dinner of fresh fish!

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  17. Jake and I are back from our walk around the block. It is about four miles. We did not see or hear anybody though we saw a lot of birds. And a mule was trying to kidnap my mare when we got home. Now we are ready to face the day.

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  18. Thank you, Cheryl, for your additional explanation. I guess because of my church upbringing which did not involve knowing God on a more personal level, and also not knowing anything about the Holy Spirit, your first comment was reminding me somewhat of my church view before being saved. I certainly don’t want to insult God by asking of Him too many trivial questions. Where do you draw the line about what is worthy to ask? Am I okay in asking the Holy Spirit for guidance on a Sunday School lesson activity for children? I think you will say that is okay, unless you think we should not address the Holy Spirit.

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  19. Good Morning…oh what a glorious rose! We have wild roses on our property and the deer make haste in eating them as soon as they spy a bud! The rose on the header is particularly beautiful…the color is such that brings forth an immediate smile! 🙂
    Busy day ahead..we are having a couple over after church tomorrow and I’ve been cleaning like a mad woman…remember I’m guilty of over obsessing…..
    Janice I do believe it is imperative to seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance in preparation of teaching children in SS….I taught 3/4 graders in SS and much time went into His preparing me and the lesson…such sweet memories of time spent with those kiddos…and I pray they retained some snippet of what was taught during those hours together….

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  20. I only went fishing once, off a rocky pier near a marina with a date. I was glad I didn’t catch anything. My mom once told me she even felt bad sticking a live worm on the hook, so she could never go fishing.

    Poor L, that is so hard — and the teen years are so intense. Praying she has a good summer and that school will be wonderful come fall, filled with many new friends.

    It’s overcast here, I noticed a huge fog bank rolling in over the peninsula just before dark yesterday. It does get sunny in the afternoon, but the marine layer keeps the temperatures mild.

    I still need to finish off my story on the 101-year-old violinist this morning, but it’s basically done. I just wish last night had been a little easier in terms of grabbing some interviews, but it was just crazy with all the non-stop noise, music and shoulder-to-shoulder space.

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  21. I have some big red roses blooming right now and I snipped one the other day when I noticed the branch was so long that the flower was literally lying on one of my concrete steps leading up to the porch.

    Now it’s sitting in a small recycled glass vase on my table. 🙂

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  22. Just did my Scripture Union Discovery guide devotional.

    The very first thing on the page is a short prayer which for today quotes John 14:16 and thanks Jesus for asking the Father to give another Counselor to be with the disciples forever.

    I do believe God speaks to me through Bible verses that He highlights for me in His winsome ways. I needed an answer and He provided. To me a Counselor indicates one who advises, at least in human terms, vocally, but since the Holy Spirit is supernatural he advises us in supernatural ways. I received this Bible verse with much thanks as an affirmation that the Holy Spirit is there to help me when I have questions. Some would claim this verse and timing to be mere coincidence whereas I take it to be timely advice through the Holy Spirit.

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  24. Janice, I do believe the Holy Spirit leads us to Scripture and reminds us of it. He also gives us words to say when we’re witnessing and not sure what to say, convicts us of sin, and He guided the writing of Scripture. Yes, we can ask Him to help us communicate His Word as we teach. Do we pray directly to Him? I don’t think Scripture ever tells us to do so, but He is God and we aren’t commanded not to, either. So my answer to that is “I don’t know.” But the examples in prayer in Scripture seem to be praying to the Father in Jesus’ name, and receiving the Holy Spirit’s help when we don’t know what to pray.

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  25. I didn’t know this was going to continue.

    Jo’s last statement on yesterday’s thread was”
    “The comments above remind me of the verse in Proverbs – there is a way that seems right to a man, but it is the way of death. Sorry, will have to look it up, but that is the sense of it.”

    She’s referring to Prov. 14:12 quoted essentially correctly.
    However, I doubt that it applies here. There was a lot of discussion and some disagreement. I disagree with some of the points made in these discussions.
    However, there is no heresy or serious unscriptural assertions made by anyone. Each person has a viewpoint abut how God communicates with us. Some, by necessity, are wrong. But nothing here leads to death.

    Reminds me of the eschatology argument. Years ago, most Christians I knew followed the Dispensational theology of C. I. Scofield. He taught that the return of Christ was imminent and that Christians would be delivered from the tribulation. “Jesus might return before I finish this sermon.” OTOH most of my seminary professors were non-millenialists. Each held his belief firmly.
    Jesus has not returned and all of those people are dead.
    The point is: Some, possibly all, of these people held a firm belief. Churches have split over Dispensationalism. Yet, they are gone and it hadn’t made a bit of difference at all.

    We are brothers & sisters in Christ and nothing can separate that fact. Be sure that everything said is in a spirit of love.
    :

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  26. Chas, yes, we are brothers and sisters in Christ, and our unity is important (and sweet). But that should never preclude us discussing important issues and seeking to know the truth.

    If we had to choose between whether the bigger problem in the church today is a desire for truth that sees unity as unimportant or a desire for unity that downplays the search for truth, we definitely are more likely to see an emphasis on unity at the expense of truth.

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  27. I saw Jo’s post and thought about what she meant by it and concluded she must be referring to those who twist God’s word to support behavior that is contrary to Scripture. Those who do that opt out of living , or at least trying to live, out God’s commands. So they will never have abundant life and if they continue relying on themselves then they will know spiritual death for all of eternity on top of physical death. Jo, please correct me if I have misunderstood your reasoning for quoting that Scripture.

    I am joyful to know Cheryl is my Sister in Christ. I do believe the Holy Spirit communicates with different people in different ways. I believe Cheryl and I both want to know God’s truth in this matter. We are probably very close to having similar thoughts, but because of backgrounds we approach the subject from different angles. I don’t expect to know all about it until heaven and then it may not matter at all. What does matter is that we all look forward to seeing each other in heaven one day.

    I do agree with what Cheryl said about churches seeking unity at the expense of truth. Not all do that, but many seem to do that. Many get their ears tickled with what they want to hear. I am thankful that my pastor teaches directly from the word and does not water it down and sweeten it with sugar.

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  28. Truth does matter in our discussions, but some things are beyond us to know all the specifics. So I am hopeful our blind spots in certain areas will not keep us from heaven.

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  30. No fish.

    But I did get a couple shots of the blue jay that’s now up. I’ve discovered that fishing is more fun with a camera. If I can’t catch fish, at least I can “shoot” somethin’. 🙂

    My favorite Dave Barry quote.

    “Fishing is boring, unless you catch an actual fish, and then it is disgusting.”

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  35. Thanks, Janice. Yes, that is what I meant by the quote. Not referring to any of you, but to the ones others mentioned that were doing what is clearly sin in scripture.
    Whew, hard to remember back a couple of days to what I was referring to.

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  36. Donna @ 10:56. Your mother and I are alike when it comes to fishing. I too felt sorry for the bait my first time out. The second (and last) time out was fly fishing so no bait to feel sorry for, just the fish.

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  37. Just think of all the smaller fish and other creatures that are given a new chance at life when the bigger fish are taken out by the fisher folks. Don’t feel sorry for those big bully fish! I hardly ever get to fish, but it is very exciting to get a nibble and try to retrieve a real live fish on the line. Our father took us fishing a few times and we never got a bite so that was not fun. Then for two years in a row I went on vacation for a week with a friend and her parents. We fished off piers in Florida using shrimp for bait. Mostly crabs ate my bait. I would try to pull them in , but they always let go. My friend’s parents were surprised by how much I liked to fish. I was disappointed that we hardly went to the beach since in my mind that was what Florida was about. But I was thankful to be on a real vacation since my family did not do things like that.

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  40. Hi Jo. You may have seen this before, if so skip it. I post this every year.

    Tomorrow, I will have had Elvera 57 years.
    I told you this before: Elvera and I went in to Dr. Ellis’ office (FBC Columbia) before the 11:00 service, he went out and locked the door. We sat there and waited. During the service he announced that there would be a wedding immediately after the service and everyone was invited to stay for it. Several hundred did.
    After the service, and Dr. Ellis shook hands, he came and got us. Just we two walked down the aisle. We stood there while Elvera’s friend, Gloria, sang, “Seal Us Oh Holy Spirit”. He did, and Dr. Ellis performed the magic that made us one. We kissed and walked out and shook a million (maybe only a thousand) hands.
    The result?
    Three little Mullers and a six month old Harris , a little Smith (Jenn’s) is on the way in January.
    I pray for all five of them every day. That God will protect them from the difficult times ahead. I am no prophet, but I see trying times for Christians, even in America. It seems headed that way.

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  43. Happy (early) anniversary Chas and Elvera. 🙂 So what did you two talk about all that time sitting in the office while you were waiting for the service to end?

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  44. Probably Michelle, at 9:45
    In the expanded version of my story, I say, “both fathers cried”. We never knew why.
    My sister brought a baby who was less than a month old. Mike and chuck became friends.

    I don’t remember what we talked about. We noticed that we were locked in.
    To discover that, she may have been trying to escape.
    She didn’t have breakfast that morning for fear of getting sick.. I went by to pick her up for the event.
    I didn’t get nervous until sometime during the reception when it dawned on me what I had done.
    Until then, I was just going through the various motions.

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  48. Fun segue from Donna’s 11:24 post to Chas’ 12:59.

    Donna: “So what did you two talk about all that time sitting in the office while you were waiting for the service to end?”

    Chas: “Probably Michelle, at 9:45” 🙂

    I may not get here tomorrow, so, if I don’t, Happy Anniversary to Chas and Elvera!

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  50. Who is Mumsee blaming? The elaborate weddings? Ours was more elaborate than either of our parents’. we had a real preacher do it.

    We did not talk about parents. We were 25&26, respectively and our parents, though approving, were not a factor. Though I’m sure my parents loved Elvera more than her parents loved me. They wanted her to get a man who had a job, rather than waste his time in school.
    They would have been happier had she married a millhand in Spartanburg.

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  52. Thanks for sharing your story, Chas. That is a story that is worth hearing and telling over an over. Congrats on 57 years! So glad to hear that your church family was also a part of the celebration.

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  53. Hey, Michelle was a day short of her first birthday the morning Chas and Elvera got married, so they could have been talking about me except I lived in Southern California at the time. 🙂

    In 1977 my mother was trying to impress her friends with my wedding. We worked at cross purposes a lot of the time. What impressed her friends the most? That the pastor who married us actually knew us and told stories about us during the ceremony!

    Speaking of the past, do you remember some 7 or so years ago, Random challenged us to read a book about genocide?

    Adios and I read the book–well, I read about half of it, it was inches thick!

    Later that summer, I visited a friend in Connecticut who is a college professor. She was writing a book about genocide issues in children’s literature. She and I had a lovely afternoon sitting in her screened in porch discussing all the books I’d read on the subject.

    She published her book last year and just sent me a note–I’m in the acknowledgments for my insight into genocide!!!!

    Laughing. I don’t know if I should thank Random or not! 🙂

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  54. Went to market this morning. I drove my van, but it wouldn’t start for the return trip. Wish I had known that before I bought so much produce. It got heavier as I walked up the hill. I am now recovering before heading to school to finish report cards and get ready for this week.

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  56. no, this is the old one. I haven’t sold it and won’t get the new one for 2 more weeks when the current owners leave PNG.
    Just confirmation that I did the right thing buying a new one and more exercise for me!

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  58. 6 Arrows, 6:05. In those days, a woman was considered an “old maid” if she wasn’t married by 25. Her family may have been worried. Elvera! You’ll never find the perfect man.

    But she showed them.
    😉

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