33 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 3-19-18”

  2. Good Morning Everyone. Today starts a whirlwind that won’t end until sometime Wednesday afternoon. Perhaps Thursday. Our awards luncheon will be Wednesday at 11.
    I am going to be busy. Yesterday I managed to get rid of one piece of furniture and repurposed another.
    I think I am going to have to hire a yard man. Mr. P can’t keep up with it and while I can do it, I don’t have the time.

    Liked by 2 people

  9. I’m finally adjusting to the time change. I think.

    I spotted this last night, could have gone on the prayer thread but I’ll post it here. I’ve just discovered this author and like her. She’s speaking (among many others) at the Desiring God conference in Indianapolis this summer I believe.

    https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/did-god-write-the-story-you-didnt-want

    _______________________________

    Did God Write the Story You Didn’t Want?

    Have you ever looked around at your life and assumed that nothing is ever going to get better? That the hard things will just get harder and the good things might disappear? That there’s no point in hoping anymore because it will only lead to disappointment?

    I have. …

    … At one point, both of my daughters wanted nothing to do with God. God had let them down. They didn’t want to trust him again.

    The Middle of the Story

    And yet last fall, my oldest daughter Katie left for a year to serve the Lord in Africa. Eight years ago, serving Jesus would have been unthinkable to her. Eight years ago, God wasn’t real to her any more. Eight years ago, she almost walked away from faith.

    On the Sunday that her church commissioned her, the sermon was on Joseph. The pastor said, “Don’t be so focused on what God has taken from you that you can’t see or believe that God will do something through you.”

    Those words hit me hard. He went on to quote from Paul Miller’s powerful book, A Praying Life, “When confronted with suffering that won’t go away, or with even a minor problem, we instinctively focus on what is missing, not on the Master’s hand. Often when you think everything has gone wrong, it’s just that you’re in the middle of a story.”

    That one sentence kept coming back to me throughout the sermon. It’s so easy to focus on what is missing and not on God’s hand when you’re in the middle of a story. When every day feels like an insurmountable struggle, and the details of the present are all-consuming, it’s impossible to imagine anything else is happening.

    Eight years ago, we were in an excruciating part of the story. It felt like an unending nightmare. In fact, it was probably the hardest year of my life.

    In the middle, all I could see was what had gone wrong. What God had taken from me. What seemed irredeemable and broken. I felt that I had lost everything. And I didn’t believe that God would do anything through me or through my circumstances. My husband was gone, my kids were a mess, and my body was failing. How could anything good ever come out of this unimaginable pain? …
    _________________________________

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Pauline, sounds interesting and good and I wondered how the rolling went. Other than the potatoes, which I am not a fan of.

    Like

  11. Cute photo, yes, probably me these days.

    Kim, getting rid of furniture and repurposing pieces? I have to say I’m excited as I reimagine that wonderful antique bookcase with colorful dishes in it.

    And i think my wildflowers may be peeking out — I scattered several packets of random seeds a few weeks ago. I need to tell the gardner not to go whacking them out thinking they’re weeds. Some of it may be weeds but we need to wait and see which is which.

    Lots of rain potentially coming our way Tuesday through Thursday this week. And I have a night meeting to cover tomorrow so I’ll get to sleep in and have part of the day to do things in the house.

    Like

  15. Calling all writers

    https://cruciformpress.com/truth-is-no-stranger-to-fiction/

    Truth Is No Stranger to Fiction

    – We’re trying our hand at publishing fiction!
    – The first novellas are coming soon…
    – And we’re seeking more fiction manuscripts! Got one?

    Here’s something we’ve been eager to announce for almost a year. At Cruciform Press, we’re finalizing our preparations to follow our Savior into the realm of creative storytelling

    Like

  19. AJ is very misunderstood. He tried to post a picture that would not be too revolting for her, by filling one of the holes with a bird but people are taking him to task for not getting enough birds to cooperate.

    Like

  20. Trypophobia
    Trypophobia is a proposed phobia of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps. The condition is not officially recognized as a mental disorder, and is rarely referenced in scientific literature. Wikipedia

    Like

  23. Chas, Linda has an aversion to holes. No explanation, it just is. And the pictures with holes are problematic for her. But it is not a mental disorder. According to that pillar of truth, Wikipedia. Everybody can draw his or her own conclusion.

    Like

  25. I don’t think her sanity is in question. A mental disorder does not mean one is insane. Nor am I saying she actually has a disorder. Simply opening it up for discussion. What is a mental disorder anyway. Dr Rosemond, a child psychologist going against the mainstream, seems to think a lot of our disorders are simply approvals of misbehavior. Not that Linda is misbehaving, no, no, don’t misunderstand me.

    Like

  26. Roscuro, thanks for posting that on the shoeboxes. I have often wondered about the efficacy of such doings and what is the best way to help. How about that heifer project? The water wells? Buy a family a small chicken flock? Do those work?

    Like

  27. I don’t hate Linda, (I changed the pic) or holes, or shoe boxes, or the people kind enough to send them. I understand those boxes may not be a favorite of some (for reasons of conviction and ego) but also know millions of kids are brought the Gospel, and joy in joyless places, thanks to them. Who am I to judge?

    I think that covers everything…… 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  28. Off to school for my last three parent conferences. Then I will spend the rest of the day clearing very old things out of my room. You know those books and binders that haven’t been used in over ten years. Did I catch this from Donna? The good news is that at four o’clock folks from a PNG school are going to come get all that I clear out.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. I have never heard of anyone being allergic or afraid of holes. It would be a difficult problem because they are everywhere.
    Even a picture of a hole?

    If I were the bomber in Austin, I would be in Dallas, Houston or Tulsa by now. He certainly isn’t in Austin anymore. If he goes to Chicago and minds his business, they’ll never catch him/her.

    But people like that don’t think logically. They’ll probably catch him. I hope.
    But wouldn’t be surprised if they never do.

    Like

  30. I have experience in Ecuador with the shoeboxes. The Wesleyan pastor opened the boxes and sold the contents to church members. I was sick and my husband came home to tell me all about it. If I were present, I probably would have reacted in the flesh. The church people had no background knowledge that would tell them that it was not right. There may have been cases of proper use locally, but no one I knew had ever shared any knowledge of that with me.

    Like

  31. I’m packing some books up tonight, the ones that came off the twirly bookcase which needs to be kept clear so it can be moved around.

    I’m glad I don’t have as many books as Cheryl, but in all this moving them around, sometimes it *feels* like I do!

    Like

  32. I know what you mean. Folks laughed when they helped me move because it seemed to be all boxes of books. Now they have been boxed up for almost 14 years in the walk in closet where I have things stored at my house. However I have given away all of my bookshelves.

    Like

  33. I have given away a lot of books over the years. But they keep growing and every time I get rid of a load, a load and a half shows up. But we are getting there.

    Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.