61 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 8-3-17”

  1. For those of you following the saga of Ellie Mei Gui Harris, Mary sent this long e-mail last night. (It was today there, exactly 12 hrs. ahead. Heavily edited because it was long. I leftin the WalMart part because I thought it amusing.

    We arrived at the Civil Affairs office, a small apartment in a nondescript apartment complex, and when we walked in, exactly at 3pm, Ellie was there waiting for us. She was dressed in a sweet little white dress with purple flowers and was playing with a toy car. She looked at us curiously, but didn’t cry. I sat next to her on the couch and played with her for a while before picking her up to put her in my lap. She seemed ok with that. Our guide and the orphanage official were talking in Mandarin about how much the nannies loved Ellie and she recognized who they were talking about and started crying. She is so smart. At the orphanage she was called Mei Gui (May Gway), which means beautiful rose. …… From there our driver drove us to Wal-mart. Wal-mart in Kunming is about ten times crazier than Wal-mart at home, but fun at the same time. Of note, Tom and I went to Wal-mart on our wedding day. We were heading to Charlotte to spend the night before leaving for our cruise and had forgotten to pack a couple things, so ran into a Wal-mart on the way. Maybe that’s just how we do things. Get married, go to Wal-mart, meet our child, go to Wal-mart.
    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
    Thank you for your continued prayers. Pray for Tom and me as we handle learning to parent Ellie along with lingering jet lag. Pray for Ellie as she continues to grieve and learns to trust us. Pray for Charlie as he continues to still be sick, but getting better. Pray for Graham as he is missing us (and us him!). He definitely understands what is going on, but wants to come to China too. We keep telling him there are no Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches in China. We can’t wait to all be home together!

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  2. Too bad there isn’t a “love” button to push. BG grew up with quite a number of girls from China. So many that the elementary school had lessons on China and celebrated Chinese New Year so these girls would know something of their heritage.

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  3. Today is the day. The Partners will be at the office and will meet me, I suppose. It either is or it isn’t. It is our of my control. I have loved the past almost two months, but cannot afford to do it on a volunteer basis. It has actually cost me money to work there.
    I am really trying to maintain a positive outlook today, but am having a little difficulty. As you can imagine I would appreciate a few prayers today if you have them.

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  6. Good morning, all. Nice adoption story. I remember going to the Atlanta airport a long time back when someone at our church was bringing home a baby from China. It was such a sweet arrival via a metal stork ❤✈

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  7. The header photo reminds me of theCecil B. Day butterfly house at Calloway Gardens. They have a wonderful building dedicated to butterflies. I will see if I can find a link. The area makes a great family trip with Pine Mountain and FDR presidential center nearby at Warm Springs, GA.

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  10. My husband left a week ago with our oldest son and his family to drive to Washington state on a camping family trip. I elected to stay home for a series of reasons, none the least of which is to spend a week with the Lord and my lengthy to-do list.

    It’s the first time, perhaps ever, I’ve spent a week essentially by myself focused on my own needs and schedule. I’ve loved it. Perhaps too much . . . this is what I dreamed of when I had all those kids and so many things to do–just a little time to myself to be selfish.

    I’ve seen people every day between church, the gym, errands and so forth. Today one of the outlaws is coming over to pray. I’ll be happy, though, to see my husband.

    The house re-invasion begins today–praying outlaw, daughter’s return and then my husband and Stargazer–who has been house sitting the whole time. I’m grateful for what I got done and I’m okay with letting the rest of the list go.

    I found I spent a lot of time idly chatting with the Lord as I went about my day. I still have plenty of things I need to hear from Him, but this time has been spiritually profitable. Thanks be to God.

    And what a pleasure not to have to cook . . .

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  11. Meanwhile, back at my Lutheran Study Bible, I’ve moved out of the major prophets into the minor prophets.

    Look what good old Martin has to say in his introduction about believers and non believers vis a vis this section of the Old Testament. I’m not sure I have the nerve to post this on Facebook!

    “So to read or hear the prophets is surely nothing else than to read and hear how God threatens and comforts.
    God threatens the godless, who feel proud and secure. And if threatening does not help, he backs it up with penalties, pestilence, famine, war, until they are destroyed.

    Thus does God make good his threat in the first commandment (Exod. 20:5).

    But he comforts those who fear him, who are in kinds of need and backs it up also with aid and counsel, by means of all kinds of wonders and signs, against all the might of the devil and the world. Thus does God make good also his comfort in the first commandment (Ex 20.6)

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  12. “With sermons and examples like these the prophets repeatedly serve us more than abundantly, in order that we should not be offended when we see with what pride and assurance the godless despise God’s word and pay no attention to his threatenings, as though God were an utter nonentity.

    For in the prophets we see that things have never turned out well for any man who has despised God’s threatening, even though they were the mightiest emperors and kings or the holiest and most learned people on whom the sun ever shone.

    On the other hand we see that no one has ever been deserted who has dared to rely upon God’s comforts and promises, even though they were the most miserable and the poorest sinners and beggars that were ever on the earth, indeed, even though it were a slain Abel and a swallowed Jonah.

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  13. Michelle, we had a tradition for years that Elvera and I would go to Myrtle Beach. We went down On Saturday. We did our beach thing and on Monday I would make my escape and Elvera’s sisters came down. They did their thing and I went home.
    H always had great plans of things I would get done while home alone.
    I seldom got much done. Survival takes a lot of time when you do it alone.
    It takes almost all my time now. But that’s a different thing.

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  14. By this the prophets prove to us that God holds fast to his first commandment and wills to be a gracious Father to the poor and believing, and that for him no one is too small or too despised. He wills, however, to be an angry Judge to the godless and the proud; and for him no one is too great, too mighty, too wise, too holy . . .

    To be sure, there is in the prophets more of threatening and rebuke than of comfort and promise.

    And it is good to observe the reason for this. The godless always outnumber the righteous. Therefore one must always inculcate the law much more than the promises. Even without the promises, the godless feel secure; they are more agile in applying the divine comforts and promises to themselves and the threats and rebukes to others.

    Nor do they let themselves be turned away, by any means, from this perverted notion and false hope.

    For their motto is “Peace and security; all is well.”

    They stick to that, and by it go merrily to destruction, as St. Paul saus, “destruction comes upon them suddenly.” (I Thess. 5:3).

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  15. After reading that just now, I put down my head and cried for all the fools I love–those who say in their heart “there is no God.”

    I’m thankful I can share the above with people who understand. Most of my world is too well described in the above.

    Off for a walk with my prayer partner . . . and perhaps to weep a little more with those who weep.

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  16. Restless night last night, I think because of the heat. Now I have to race to get out of here. Managed to score a cell # for our photographer who’s wandering around the Trump golf course in search of our Catalina swimmer this morning. Swimmer is on track to arrive sometime around 8;30 on the coast below Trump. But catching those swimmers is always tricky as they can veer off course and frequently are not on time, of course.

    I have a few stories to finish up before the weekend — one of them I haven’t even started and still have a 3-inch thick deposition file to go through first. 😦

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  23. Michelle, I understand your concern for the lost who are all around you. Since I am working with the older group of women at church now, and I know you do Bible study for a similar group, I am curious if your group of older ladies are still reaching out to others with the message of Jesus or are they at the point of only wanting to be receivers of what the church offers as ministry to seniors? I have so much to learn in this new leadership role. I don’t know what appropriate expectations are. With our church going through the possibility of merger /loss of our pastor, I feel like I don’t have guidance.

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  24. Morning, Chas. I am ready to book some tickets, but need your approval first. I have a week of meetings in Orlando. After the meetings, on Saturday, Sept. 2nd, I plan to fly to the Greensboro airport. I would just like to meet for an hour or two. I plan on staying at an airport hotel and then will fly out the next morning. That happens to be Labor Day weekend.
    If this meets with your approval, I will go ahead and book the flights. Blessings

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  25. JO. 2 Sept. in on my schedule now. We can have dinner.
    But I have to get home by sundown. What time schedule are we talking about?

    Let me know if anything changes.

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  26. We are creative.

    It worked like the old speakeasies.

    la-dee-dah, just walking around, knock-knock-knock

    who’s there?

    woof

    slip-and-slide down the trail (going back up was harder)

    But that was before they began handing out hefty citations.

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  33. Ladies in my Bible study, ages 64-98 except for me the savant leader at 61, are very active in the church. They serve on committees, cook food, help with VBS, sing, run ministries and pray. They’ve slowed down over the 15 years I’ve been teaching, but they are concerned about salvation issues, love the young people and give, give, give. I’m totally blessed by them and don’t like to share them with other Bible study leaders . . . LOL

    They aren’t as keen on homework as they once were, however, so we use the IVP Lifeguide Bible study series. It’s intended to spark conversation and they are so wise, the conversation around the table is splendid and faith-affirming.

    I do all the extra homework and I try to encourage stimulating “outside” ideas. We have a good time together. I love it when I can use audio visual (total joke, me trying to work the DVD player), and they understand how inept I am. For example, I only got the appropriate Messiah section twice in nine weeks . . .

    I love them, they support and pray for me. They’re always seeing things like, “Oh, don’t cook dinner, have R take you out.”

    They’re a total blessing and I’m honored to spend 75 minutes with them every Tuesday morning–starting up again in September on the life of David.

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  37. I put up a closer shot of some other chrysalis’ and I must say, some of them are a little creepy when you look closely. 😨

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  38. Aj, I don’t know how to send pictures except for what you get from me.
    I know that sound s dumb. But some know how to attach a picture along with text. I don’t know how to do that. I just send the picture. Those that made the header.

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  40. Oh, more earrings.

    So a big YAY from me — heard from Real Estate Guy who says he finally heard back from the roofer and they’re set to talk about the foundation job on Saturday. Hoo-RAY.

    I’ve come so far on this house I really was hoping to finish up the last 2 major infrastructure pieces (foundation and wood window repair & realignment).

    Now let’s hope my job holds steady for a while longer …

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  45. I told Real Estate Guy he’d better tell roofer to get busy on that foundation while I still have a job and some money in the bank. 🙂

    OK, Catalina swim story, done; LA Olympics story, done; now on to lawsuit story…

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  46. That was a photo of my friend who recruited me back and the Regional Director. I like both of them. However, I do not like the man who was supposed to sign my contract and I still do not have a signed contract. When I was introduced to him he laughed about his procrastination. Meanwhile, here I am operating in a negative. The last I teach will be tomorrow, Monday, and Wednesday, then it will be over until September 8th. I will get $1,000 for teaching the class. After that? No contract, no money, no Kim. I was extremely discouraged on my way home, but received a phone call from someone who brightened my day.
    I am still somewhat licking my wounds, but the sun will rise in the east tomorrow and I will do what I do. I will survive.

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  47. Chas you are in for a blessed time meeting with Jo….she is a delight❤️…and thank you for sharing your GD’s story ….. brought tears and smiles….continued prayers for them in the days ahead…..
    Kim we are holding you close in prayer….He does have a plan….may those about you realize the gift and blessing you are and can be to them….

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  50. AJ- The lunch with rkessler happened whether you get a photo or not! I don’t think anyone took pictures. And Jo got a picture of the two of us when she was at the cave last month, but I asked her not to post it here because Mrs L prefers not to have my picture on here for safety’s sake. That is why you never got a picture when we met Kim 2 years ago.

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  51. Right now we are in the covered patio of our vacation rental enjoying an Arizona chubasco (thunderstorm). The temp drops dramatically after one starts. It was 102 and now feels like it’s in the 80s.

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  53. Peter, I’m jealous of you getting to spend time in Arizona. I haven’t been backed since my mom’s funeral. (After that, visiting Arizona would have meant paying for hotel rooms, and I would be going just for the scenery and not to visit anyone and thus couldn’t justify the expense.) Someday I want to take my hubby, but we won’t be able to do that anytime soon, if ever.

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  55. Peter, my husband and I just watched (on and off–three rain delays) the Cubs play the Diamondbacks, and the D-backs won 10-8. It’s gotta be a tough game to sit for six-and-a-half hours, much of it in rain, watch your team get 8 runs . . . and they still lose. The 16-4 win the other night would have been more fun for Cubs fans.

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  56. Last time I was in Phoenix was when daughter in law graduated from Embry Riddle/Prescott where it was cold and snowing in May, and her uncle in Phoenix had a graduation party, where it was very warm. Must have been about a hundred years ago. Before that was providing dying care for mother in law at brother in laws house and that must have been one hundred fifty years ago. It was in December. As I recall, it was very warm.

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  58. The house was sweltering when I got home about an hour ago, but better now that I have several windows open and both the front and back doors (and 4 fans going).

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  60. The sports seasons used to be very distinct but aren’t anymore. I hate that — who wants to watch football in summer and baseball in late fall? There’s a huge overlap now. Seems like each sport has creeped later and earlier in their seasons.

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