57 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 8-22-17”

  6. It’s difficult Kim.
    I’m trying to think of something specific, and I can’t.
    It occurs to me that it would be difficult to post a memory of those with whom I often have interface on this blog. Lots of words have passed between me and some of you.
    But I can’t recall something I would post.
    “The Kid” was an issue and subject of prayer for a while. A few years back. He is probably a grown man now.
    But my mind is blank.

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  8. Back on the Politics Thread, there’s a country song called “Kick the Dust Up”. I commented, “That ain’t my kind of country”.
    On a more serious note. I have that problem in church also. In H’ville, we had an early service that was really for old folks. I got a blessing because I could participate.
    But I can’t get into the worship of our church here.
    I just cant.
    It isn’t good to leave church with a bad attitude. I fight it, but I still do.
    The words are great. Real praise songs.
    But it ain’t my kind of music. I can’t get into it. j

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I just posted about Kbells. Since The Kid will likely be reading what we write, I think it best not to go into remembrance of his troubles.

    Chas, feel free to read what I wrote. Perhaps there is one area in particular that you remember more than others…maybe wins on Football score predictions? The Kid and Tim would probably enjoy reading more about that.

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  10. Hendersonville is a great retirement town. Lots of old folks. Lots of money.
    My advisor for Wells Fargo is on the finance comity of FBCHNC. He once told me that the Traditional (read old folks) service provided almost half of the total income for the church. (There are three Sunday morning services.)
    That is, we gave more than the other two together.
    But all of the baptisms came from the other two services.
    Makes sense.
    But we old folks were more than happy to support that ministry.

    Liked by 3 people

  11. Chas, in my church, the first half of the service is the music/prayer/worship leader time. The second half is the sermon. Is your church following that schedule? If so, you could find something in the church that needs
    attention. Work on that duty and go into church late to avoid the music time. help cleanup the refreshment area, help Sunday School workers clean up their rooms, welcome any who arrive late in the parking lot, etc.

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  12. Michelle, for the writer’s retreat, we were told to wrap up a used book as a white elephant gift. I gave one of the leather bound My Utmost for His Highest journal books. It was a hit that kept being taken away from those who wanted it for themselves. ❤

    One critique I worked on is a historical fiction about Spurgeon. That reminded me of what you are working on with the Chambers books.

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  13. Okay, well, thanks be to God I got 9 hours of sleep last night and thus feel like a functioning human being. That’s good because I’ve got a two hour drive to meet the divine Jo for lunch in Davis! I’m stopping along the way to visit some elderly outlaws, so I’ll be leaving fairly soon.

    You did a fine job, AJ. I apologize for dropping the editing ball. I’m not sure where my brain was yesterday, which is why I did no important work.

    I did write up a little memory of Kbells. If you can remember a specific incident, great. I did have a personal connection outside of the blog (how many of us chat on the side!) and I saw her on FB, so that was easier.

    It would mean a lot to me were I in that situation, to know that people loved her who never met her and that we all were praying. I find if I can tell grieving family members a story that makes them laugh, all the better.

    Unfortunately, with Kbells she was so clever so often, I couldn’t remember a specific incident!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Thanks Janice. I’m soliciting stories of how your life has been affected by My Utmost for His Highest. I asked for them in my newsletter that went out on Sunday and yesterday, the Hindi translator of the devotional sent me a wonderful email.

    I’ll fashion them into a few blog posts that I hope to run in December/January. Send an email if you’ve got a story to share.

    And my offer of a free copy of Mrs. OC stands. Send me an email with your mailing address and phone number and I’ll have the Dark Lord, er, Amazon, send you a copy on October 17.

    Off to see the kindergarten teacher!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. We get to go home tomorrow! !!!!! We have been waiting for the trapeze, wheelchair, slide board, and potty chair. All the NM companies were giving the run around. The discharge planner finally called a local company. They will deliver the items today, and we will take them home with us.

    Liked by 6 people

  17. Enjoy the lunch, Jo & (rested-at-last) Michelle.

    One of the blessings of a more liturgical church (that takes its liturgy seriously) is the order of worship.

    Ours goes like this:

    1/ Call to worship (reading of Scripture)
    2/ Confession of sin and words of pardon
    3/ 2 hymns
    4/ Congregational reading (can alternate – 10 Commandments, catechism questions & answers, etc.)
    5/ Offertory
    6/ Pastoral prayer and prayer requests
    7/ Hymn
    8/ Scripture reading, sermon
    9/ Prayer
    10/ Hymn
    11/ Exhortation and invitation to the Lord’s Supper
    12/ Communion
    13/ Prayer
    14/ Hymn
    15/ Benediction

    During seasons when we offer an earlier service, at Easter, for example, it is the same as the main service (but it does, also, seem to draw more of the older members — our ‘norm’ is one service only where all of us, of all ages and life circumstances, rich and poor, different races, are together, which I think is the ideal for the church; the larger reformed churches like ours tend to have a good mix of people).

    But wherever you are, I’d encourage participation in the entire service, even if one doesn’t care for the music choices. Skipping parts of it doesn’t seem right to me. Our pastor also has mentioned visiting churches where the music isn’t to his liking and then recognizing his own pride in some of those views.

    Join with the brethren where God has placed you.

    Liked by 3 people

  19. The House: on to electricity … I’m having someone come Saturday to look at several jobs involving outlet updates, replacing outside lights. Hoping it won’t be too expensive. I would have all the items (fixtures, etc.) in hand by the time work was ready to be done.

    My next door neighbor to the north must be happy — she’s been grandchild and dog sitting for one of her sons for over a week and is completely exhausted (the 2 visiting dogs were big, as are their own — barking, barking). The kids were only there part of the time and only on some days, but my neighbor said she was dragging the other day when one of the grands pipes up and says “Can we make a Hello Kitty cake!?” “Sure,” she managed to say, leading the troops into the kitchen. She really does look beat.

    I just heard them all, kids and dogs, pile into the truck to head home with the parents who got in at the airport early this morning.

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  22. I figured Chas would have his hands full just helping Elvera remain comfortable. It is distracting when the music is difficult.

    That sky looks familiar.

    I noticed a handsome couple in the paper yesterday as I was getting out the Sunday crossword. It was my dad and stepmom. They will be celebrating her ninety fifth birthday in a couple of weeks and their thirty first wedding anniversary. They adore each other and you can tell from the picture. I think of Chas and Elvera when I see them.

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  23. Today, youngest turns ten and I cannot find her presents. I bought her a rock tumbling kit, a book on rocks and some samples of polished rocks. Has anybody seen it lying around?

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  25. Good Morning and what great news you are going home R K! Prayers for safe travel and His clearing the way before you.
    Beautiful photo up there…seems so peaceful.
    Chas I understand the frustration with music and I am forever thankful we sing hymns from a hymnal at our church. I do not see pride as an issue concerning the frustration and find myself perplexed by the suggestion. Call me old fashion if you will but I find it distracting in worship when the gal in front of me is shaking her booty to the beat of the drummer during what seems to be more of a performance than worship….vent over……. 😳

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  28. Hey gang. Is there enough interest in doing the pickled pigskin picks? Let me know. It will be different without the competition from kbells. Is it a go or not?

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  29. Just a reminder…..

    If you don’t have a specific KBells story that’s OK. A little condolence note to Tim and Chris, or a prayer is appropriate too, and would be appreciated. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  30. I’m in. 🙂

    This year I will stop picking Notre Dame, so I’ll probably win most weeks anyway. I wouldn’t want to miss out on that. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  31. AJ, could we have a few days to post on Kbells thread? My mind is so full of lists and things to do, that I am not sure I could write anything coherent or edifying.

    Liked by 1 person

  33. Michelle, FYI, the second video on that post comes up with the message with “This video contains contact from SME, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.”

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  34. The picture includes the hunting mansion. As mentioned, the boys stayed out there one winter, no heat, no power, no water. Of course, those things were all available inside, as were their rooms. When sixteen year old turned fifteen, I told him he could live out there but it did not go well. All he did was lie down on the deck and stare at the house for hours. Weird. I made him move back in when it was apparent it was setting him back, not giving him the confidence it gave the other boys. I would see his brother out there when he was living there by himself. He would go out and shoot his bow, or whatever, check out the wildlife. Doing things. Not just lying down. Staring.

    Next one up may be eleven year old when he turns fifteen. I don’t think sixteen year old daughter would do well there. She has never asked.

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  37. RKessler,

    Of course I can leave it up for a few days. I will be happy to do so. Take your time, as the delay is understandable given all you have going on. Continued prayers for you and yours as well. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  40. Oh, and ladies- You too can chime in on whether to have the NCAA thread, even if you choose not to participate. The season starts this weekend, but the first games I would post would be next week’s, which start on Thursday.

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  41. So glad to hear you and your hubby get to go home tomorrow, RKessler! Praising God with you.

    Beautiful header photos. The color of the sky in that first one was magnificent.

    Another blog meet-up — fun! (Although I guess it’s a repeat meet-up, right? Jo and Michelle, you met one other time, correct? Will the meeting location be different this time? Wherever it is, enjoy.) 🙂

    Chas at 12:40 said what I thought of, too — I’d wondered if his pet rock got mixed up in that missing rock-business gift collection. 😉

    I enjoy reading the pigskin picks threads, so if I can enter an opinion on whether or not to have them, I’ll say yes, even though I don’t usually participate. I’ll miss KBells’ presence on there, though. Her comments were part of the fun.

    Liked by 2 people

  43. There was a discussion on this blog a while back, in which I didn’t participate, about the presence of the American flag at the front of a church sanctuary. I am trying to remember what exactly was said by those opposed to that practice. Cheryl, I think you were one person (or maybe the only one? I don’t remember) who expressed strong reservation against that. Would you mind telling me again why that is?

    I’m curious, because we have an American flag at the front of our sanctuary, and it was interesting when a visitor (a daughter of one of our members) recently came to the ladies Bible study I attend Sunday mornings. She had some very good points about why she felt it was not a good idea to have one’s country’s flag at the front of a church, and it got me to thinking more about the tradition our church has had with having the flag at the front. I don’t know about the history behind that decision, and want to try to examine the matter from Scripture.

    For those opposed to the flag’s presence there, what are your objections from a Biblical or cultural or other standpoint?

    Thanks.

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  44. I got a wonderful and unexpected gift in my email today. A former piano student of mine (the one whose testimonial appears on my website homepage, for those of you who have seen my site) emailed me and two other people — musical mentors of hers — a copy of a piano solo she wrote and played at her brother’s wedding last weekend. A lovely, flowing piece she dedicated to her brother and his bride. I heard her play it Saturday and thought, oh that’s a lovely piece, I wonder who it’s by? 😉

    I hardly had any chance to talk to her Saturday, because of our leaving right after the wedding to get to the other wedding we were attending that day, so I didn’t find out until today that she had written the music herself, and now has gifted it to me. So sweet.

    Liked by 5 people

  45. Chas, my husband would agree with you about the music. He does not find the praise teams music adds to his worship at all. I have no problem worshipping with a variety of music. I do not like to clap, however, because I find it distracting. I do remind my husband that the music is not only for him, but for everyone.

    Our church is in flux. We do not have the maturity we need in leadership. It is complicated. Our pastor was there for decades and had to leave suddenly. The new one asked to come has some very different beliefs about baptism. The handling of these things is not good, IMO. The congregation were told that we were having a meeting that would take about ten minutes to discuss it. What? Libraries full of books have been written, let along looking just at scripture. This is the second meeting that seems to be more about decisions already made, than about actually listening to anyone. I don’t think the congregation has any idea of the changes that are coming. I am not sure if the church will survive or not.

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  47. Sounds like the church we were attending. Some changes happen with a new pastor but when significant changes happen, it should make people pay attention and search the Scriptures.

    Liked by 1 person

  53. Annual piano teachers’ workshop tomorrow, one of my favorite traditions. Presented by the founder of our local independent music teacher’s group affiliated with the MTNA. She’s in her early 80s now and is as spry and witty as ever.

    I will have to remember to pick up some certificates while I’m at the music store tomorrow. My student who will be a senior this year gave a solo recital last week, in honor of her having memorized ten pieces. They were miniatures, and at an easier level than her contest music (this year by Bach, Beethoven and Chopin), but playing for memory in front of an audience (she never had to do that with her previous teacher) was a good experience to prepare for her college music audition pieces, which must be memorized.

    She began her recital with Robert Schumann’s “Important Event” from Scenes From Childhood, which she had memorized to play for a judge this past spring. Then she did her ten pieces, composed by Catherine Rollin, that appear in Museum Masterpieces (Book 1), works the composer wrote to musically depict ten famous works of art. American Gothic being one; Mona Lisa another.

    Because all of that would only be about 15 minutes long, we decided to add a couple other pieces to the program (not memorized) — her Haydn sonata movement she wanted to get in one final performance on (and I’m glad she did it, as it turned out to be her best performance of it); and, our last number, a duet we jointly composed. I gave her a chord progression I wanted her to use, she composed the secondo part, I composed the primo, we collaborated on the edit, and it came together well. Really fun to play, and I threw in a surprise at the recital — our piece was called Jazzy Improv, so on the repeat of the final section, I improvised a different melody, which I didn’t tell my student ahead of time that I would do. With “Improv” in the title, ya gotta do a little improvising, you know? She did great — that little switcheroo didn’t phase her at all. 😉 The duet seemed to be an audience favorite, but she got nice comments about her recital in general, too, and though she was a little nervous, she handled it well and said afterwards she was really glad she did it.

    I was really proud of her, and want to give her a certificate tomorrow (her first lesson since her recital) to add to her other musical achievements memorabilia.

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  55. Re the flag at the front of the church: first of all, my last two churches (possibly my last three) have not had them, and I’m happy about that. My next church does currently have the American and “Christian” flag–and we did talk with the pastor about that briefly when we met with him for an hour and a half in May, and he told us a humorous story, that someone only recently noticed that the American flag only has 48 stars! He said that he isn’t sure people would really notice if they were to come down. We expect to discuss that farther before we join, not that we’ll refuse to join, but that we have serious problems with that. Here’s a bit of an overview.

    First, if a church were meeting in a home, one might expect to have all sorts of things present, maybe a flag, photos of the family, maybe even a Cubs poster. You aren’t going to sanitize the living room for the church service. Likewise, if you are renting a college classroom or some other facility, you’ll have a chalkboard, a map of India, who knows what all. Those things happen to be there, because the facility has a dual use.

    But what if it is a sanctuary, devoted only to the worship of the Lord Jesus? What purpose does the flag play? I’ve heard some say that it reminds them of what God has done in this country’s history–but by that token, we should all bring our memorabilia of remembrances of what God has done in our lives. I doubt that’s really the reason that churches fly the flag; I think it’s a strong American God-and-country tradition. After all, we have songs like “God Bless America” and National Days of Prayer. But flying the American flag is excluding believers who visit who are not Americans–and it also risks confusing and alienating them, because other countries don’t fly their flags in their worship services.

    We have authorized symbols as part of worship. We have baptism, the Lord’s supper; some churches use palm branches, incense, stained glass of biblical events, etc. I don’t think a potted plant on the platform is the same thing, or curtains on the window, or pews. What is unique about the flag is that it is a symbol of something–and it isn’t a uniquely Christian symbol. So we balance it out by using the Christian flag, too–but that’s just a made-up symbol, and no more uniquely “Christian” than a crucifix would be. I remember at VBS growing up we would pledge allegiance to the American flag and then pledge allegiance to the Christian flag (or vice versa)–but I have no allegiance to a Christian flag any more than I have “allegiance” to a pew! My allegiance is to my Savior, and then also to His people.

    So to me an American flag in the service is bringing patriotism and nationalism where they really don’t belong, where we are part of the family of God, a family that includes Canadians and Germans and citizens of many other lands. It’s confusing our allegiances and asking for an allegiance to something that has nothing whatever to do with the Christian faith.

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  56. We also do not have the US flag in our church meeting place, only the cross, pulpit and a Bible on a stand. The flag wasn’t in the previous Presbyterian church I attended, either, but apparently they’d had the flag at one time, long before I arrived, and the pastor told me it was a bit of a strain, especially with one of their older members, a veteran, to remove it; a sensitive issue, I can understand that).

    Productive evening, got the watering done, dogs walked and bills paid online (and activated a new debit card when the bank said my prior one was recently used — by me — in a place — grocery store I think? — where some fraud had been reported, so just to be safe they sent a new card).

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