75 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 6-20+21-20”

  3. Well, happy summer! June is my favorite month, and summer my favorite season. I do like June and July a bit better than August; things are starting to look wilty and bug-eaten in August, and sometimes it’s too dry.

    But I love the long days in June, the flowers in bloom, green everywhere, baby birds, and this year I’m enjoying getting photos of insects–though butterfly season still hasn’t started in earnest.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Welcome to summer! I think of this song from the Middle Ages.

    Summer Is a Coming In (Summer Is Icumen In)

    Sumer is icumen in,
    Lhude sing cuccu!
    Groweþ sed and bloweþ med
    And springþ þe wde nu,
    Sing cuccu!
    Awe bleteþ after lomb,
    Lhouþ after calue cu.
    Bulluc sterteþ, bucke uerteþ,
    Murie sing cuccu!
    Cuccu, cuccu, wel singes þu cuccu;Ne swik þu nauer nu.Sing cuccu nu. Sing cuccu.
    Sing cuccu. Sing cuccu nu!

    Translation-
    Summer is a coming in,
    Loudly sing, Cuckoo!
    Groweth seed and bloweth mead,
    And springeth wood anew,
    Sing, Cuckoo!
    Ewe bleateth after lamb
    The cow lows after the calf.
    Bullock starteth buck, too, verteth*,
    Merrily sing, Cuckoo!
    Cuckoo, cuckoo, well you sing,
    cuckoo;
    Of cease thee never now,Sing cuckoo now. Sing, Cuckoo.
    Sing Cuckoo. Sing cuckoo now!

    (I first heard it on a broadcast of the Focus on the Family children’s show called “Odyssey”.)

    Liked by 4 people

  5. We have had summer for awhile now. Actually, it has been too hot for me. We have had warmer weather than our daughter in TN. It will be more normal for the next week it seems. I am not complaining; just saying.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Beautiful flowers in the header!

    The weather is such a fine topic these days. Our local news said Atlanta should hit 90° this weekend. It also said Maine has already hi 90° four times. That means I understand what you wrote about, Chas. People have complained in this area that their pool water is still too cool to swim in. We are in luck at our house because Miss Bosley never wants to go swimming.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. I see on FoxNews that a restaurant owner has created “safe haven” for police.
    I used to have a friend, (belonged to our church), who was a policeman in Northern Virginia. He said that they liked to take their breaks at 7-11 stores. (Don’t know if they have them here. I don’t recall seeing one.) He said they would get free coffee and use the rest rooms at 7-11 stores.
    Why did 7-11 do that?
    The 7-11 stores were robbed often. But never when there was a police car sitting outside.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. I am feeling a bit down today. My email had a survey about going back to my church. I just don’t feel ready with so much Covid in our vicinity. I finally decided to say it all depends on the numbers. They keep stressing how no one in my age bracket should feel pressured to be there in person, that we can continue to watch the live broadcasts. In some ways it already felt like we had two churches in one, the older group major financial supporters and hang-ons from the former church, and the other younger group. I know it is not intentional in anyway to not have people 65 and older engaged with the church in a more personal way, but it still hurts.
    ( I just caught that my phone had changed hang-ons to handguns, lol. Glad I caught that!)

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Weather is heating up here, so not my favorite season. I have gotten to use to the temperatures in Ukarumpa. Now that I want to hike most days, I have to figure out when it is cool enough. Closer to 80 than 90.

    Liked by 2 people

  14. Commentary on Genesis 32. Note Spurgeon lived before all the astronomy knowledge we now have.

    Spurgeon thought about the great multitude of angels that God has available for His people’s help: “It may be that every star is a world, thronged with the servants of God, who are willing and ready to dart like flames of fire upon Jehovah’s errands of love. If the Lord’s chosen could not be sufficiently protected by the forces available in one world, he has but to speak or will, and myriads of spirits from the far-off regions of space would come thronging forward to guard the children of their king.”

    Liked by 4 people

  15. On seeing angels: “I do not ask that you may see angels: still, if it can be, so be it. But what is it, after all, to see an angel?

    Is not the fact of God’s presence better than the sight of the best of his creatures?

    Perhaps the Lord favored Jacob with the sight of angels because he was such a poor, weak creature as to his faith.” (Spurgeon)

    Liked by 3 people

  16. Michelle, regarding your question yesterday about timing of a Zoom meeting, I could do it just about any time except 7-8 ET Wednesday.

    Hmm, anecdote from WV…

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Did you hear that Ford had been planning to unveil the new Bronco July 9, until they realized that was OJ Simpson’s birthday? It cracks me up that a) of all the days they could have picked it happens to be that day, and b) that it matters so much that they felt they had to reschedule. Honestly, would any of you have noticed if they hadn’t brought it up?

    Liked by 3 people

  18. And that reminds me of when Wesley was young and my brother asked him if he knew who Samson was in the Bible, and Wesley said “Yes! O.J.” Not a shining moment of display of Bible knowledge. He has made much progress since then ♡

    Liked by 4 people

  20. I’m feeling slow today, I went to bed early (for me, 10 p.m.) but was awake for a couple (maybe more?) hours during the mid-pre-dawn hours reading, then went back to sleep again just as it was getting light and slept until 11. I have no idea how much sleep I actually got, but with my aching knee (again) it just felt good to be unconscious. 🙂

    The photo is of my blooming bougainvillea in front of the house right at the corner near the driveway (which was where the photo taken, looking up). Gardeners were keeping it so trimmed back that it didn’t bloom for a few years; I’ve finally convinced the current gardener to ‘let it go’ a bit so we can get some blossoms. What good is a bougainvillea without flowers?

    I still need to turn my time card in, yesterday was a very long day. I’ll water in the backyard plants later on today, I watered all the potted plants on the porch last night.

    We’re still having our June Gloom which is fine with me.

    Janice, I’ve been in that same spot with in-person services. For us, they began May 31 but at the time I felt our numbers weren’t all that great, frankly, so I didn’t see any rush to get back into a crowd — that said, our elders have it planned out to where you make “reservations” for one of the 2 morning services so they can keep the numbers manageable for good social distancing, then the deacons sterilize the room before, in between and after the services. For the first service masks are mandatory; for the 2nd simply “advisory” although I think now that California has issued a statewide order for masks whenever people leave home that could change? I’d hope so. But I think the church made the one service ‘advisory’ only for masks because some folks truly have difficulty breathing with them on. Still, there are enough people who are kind of thumbing their nose at the protocols now (hopefully non in our church, but maybe a few) that it also allows a place for those people, which isn’t so appealing to me.

    The latest addition is an evening (monthly) and smaller service for those who have been most reticent to come in person just yet, so those folks can receive community. We take communion weekly normally (and are doing so at the morning services, but using pre-packaged individual servings people pick up at the door) so missing communion for this long a time has been difficult.

    Frankly, it’s my knee that is more of a hindrance to showing up (though I still am waiting for that anticipated ‘surge’ now that things are opening up so quickly and so many people refuse to wear masks or otherwise follow safety protocol). I’d feel better with numbers that are actually regularly going down, even if that period will only be temporary (fall is being eyed as the next danger zone). LA County is now on the state’s “watch” list for outbreaks, so we really are in a wait-and-see situation.

    So I’m not sure when I’ll get back, I may try out the new monthly evening service though for communion when that’s held.

    For now, with work being so tiring and the knee acting up, I’m still fine with the virtual services on Sunday mornings. If I didn’t have that, I’d be going back and just take my chances.

    I read something yesterday about vaccines maybe not being available until late 2021, so at some point we just all need to find ways, if otherwise advisable as individuals health-wise, to live with this thing while being as safe as possible “out there.”

    I have no problem going out to get groceries or run other errands, PT/dr appts of course, but I do tend to combine trips and not go more places than I need to go.

    Liked by 3 people

  22. This is the event attended by several of the younger people at church. I choose to be happy that they were there to represent the older people at church assuming it is truly a good group. The name One Race sounds so similar to One World, the globalist mentality I do not agree with. We are all the Human Race made in the image of God.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. I went out to do a longer walk today. The park has one trail that goes to the top of the hill. It was much longer and harder than I thought. I got to the top and then there was another trail that was a loop. I thought that I had already made the loop. Oh, well… Don’t know that I will be going to the top again. Then I looped this way and that to get my five mile total. The deep shade in spots was wonderful.

    Liked by 4 people

  26. The 9 o’clock service is outside here in Sonoma County. That’s the only one I’ll attend; the weather is beautiful, I don’t have to wear a mask, and we can sing.

    Why go indoors?

    I have to say, though, I was surprised at how emotional it felt to sing again. I guess that’s my favorite part of a worship service. The ones online have used canned music which is awful, in my opinion. Too loud, too brassy, too much. We just turned down the sound and sang the lyrics acapella and liked it much better.

    Why make worship showy? I, personally, honor God better in the quiet and with time to think about what the words say.

    My husband never got final word about Sunday School and will stay home again tomorrow to teach his class. At least two of his six students attended the worship service with me (and 50 others) last week.

    This is the longest I’ve gone, perhaps ever, without communion.

    And, on another note, it’s the longest I’ve ever gone without going to the library, at least since babyhood.

    Liked by 2 people

  27. Well, I was thinking the time Kevin mentioned would be great for me, but really any day after 7 Central is fine (except Friday).

    Now, I wonder if I still have those Drill posts saved somewhere. I’ll have to look through the thumb drives.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Kevin, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ford did the “oh wait, we can’t have that day” as a way to get publicity. Otherwise, why even mention it?

    Liked by 1 person

  32. I am doing three or four miles most days and trying to work up to five miles three times a week. The hot weather is going to make it harder. This week I am having company and will let her determine how far we walk.

    Liked by 1 person

  34. oh, my goodness. I thought I would look at some flights back to PNG. Qantas, which had a flight last week now says they are not flying internationally until October. I found some ways to get there, but the last flight is always Air Niugini into Port Moresby. Then I read the quarantine regulations. You have to book your hotel before you go. They take you directly there on a bus and you are locked into your room for fourteen days with meals delivered.

    Liked by 1 person

  36. Jo, that sounds discouraging.

    I talked to my cousin tonight and the conversation went, of course, to what a surreal and difficult time this is and with no end in sight.

    Liked by 2 people

  37. I found a way to come through Singapore. Someone else is attempting to return in July. I will let them try it first. We will see.

    Liked by 1 person

  38. Have a Happy Day to all the other fathers out there.

    I am confused.. All week long we have heard of the people outside the auditorium in Tulsa.
    Now?
    They say that the room wasn’t full.

    Liked by 1 person

  40. Such a good day to resume in person services too. Sunny, low 70s, light breeze…… 🙂

    Ours will be outside under the trees, and limited to an hour, with 6 feet between family units, but I’ll take it. 🙂

    Like

  42. Just jumping in to say, I told you so. They are tearing down statues of George Washington. Discredit the founding fathers and you can discredit anything they said.

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  43. Chas- The date line at the top is now a math problem, resulting in negative 13.

    We’re meeting at a park today. One family thought we shouldn’t sing, since they read that 52 of 60 choir members got sick after a 2½ hour practice. Well, 15-20 minutes of singing at a social distance compared to 2½ hours means we should be safe.

    Like

  47. Also Frances Scott Key, etc.
    The problem is not that they are destroying statues, but it’s an attack on the essence of what America is.
    Our last president was converted (according to him) from Islam to Christianity by a pastor who said, “Not God bless America, but God D— America”
    It has been a long time in coming.
    I think it started with LBJ and the Viet Nam war. I supported him in that, but not so much FOR the war but AGAINST the rebellion.

    We now have a generation of activists who hate everything America stands for.
    My question, “If not America, WHAT?”.
    Nowhere on earth is there freedom and opportunity that exists here.
    When that is replaced, it will be back to subjection.

    I’m afraid that is where you are headed.

    Liked by 2 people

  48. Morning and a most blessed Father’s Day to all you Dads! I found a leather-bound notebook with the inscription by E.E Cummings to give to my resident Mr. Dad… “ Your head is a living forest full of songbirds.”…. he chuckled and liked it 😊 …. he is a good Dad….
    We are off to have lunch at daughter’s home…then on to evening church service. Still separated into family sections…no gathering inside the church but you are on your own once in the church parking lot. Worshiping our Lord in song brings to me such solace especially during these dark days upon us…it is good to be in “the house of the Lord”….

    Liked by 2 people

  49. Good morning. Enjoyed another excellent message from Virginia: Phillippians 1: 27-30. On how we should then live. Soon we are off to our own church.

    Liked by 1 person

  50. I am making hummingbird food this morning. Some of my boys gave me store hummingbird food for Christmas. It has been out for a month or so, but the birds rarely touch it. Interestingly, neither do the yellow jackets. It will be interesting to see what happens when the homemade stuff goes out. Will there be a difference?

    Liked by 3 people

  51. Statues defaced in our town last night near the harbor — Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and Stephen M. White.

    “Colonizer,” the red paint declares on one.

    They’re still standing for now, but the lassos will probably be brought out next for the take down.

    Also Junipero Serra in downtown LA, pulled down completely.

    The Cleansing.

    Like

  52. I wish we had space for an outdoor service, I’d go to that; but apparently none could be found — and we lease a building in ‘business park’ where nearly all the outdoor space is a parking lot.

    Liked by 1 person

  53. But we always have live music at the virtual services, no “canned.” That would be annoying.

    The sermon has to be my service highlight every week. The singing is good and moving, communion is another highlight. But I love hearing the message in the preached word the most.

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  55. Our very first week of the livestream we only had a sermon and prayer, since they said that pastor “didn’t feel comfortable” leading in singing. But ever since, it has been the full service, though conducted a little differently (for instance, no “favorite songs” in the evening service). Unfortunately we don’t have the Lord’s supper anywhere near often enough, though my husband is preparing a theological appeal on that.

    For the singing, we pretty much have done what we always do, except virtually. Since every family is given a psalter for every member upon joining the church, and there are also apps for the psalter, they simply announce the song, the precentor leads it, and we sing along at home. It’s nicer to sing along at home now that we can also hear the voices of the smaller gathered congregation.

    My husband had said we won’t see the girls for Father’s Day, and he wouldn’t even want them to drive down because of the risk to his health from outside contact. Younger one e-mailed 45 minutes ago that she is driving down but bringing her own chair so that we can sit and visit outside. We won’t be able to hug her, but we can at least SEE her, and I think that will do all of our hearts good. It’s a long trip for her to drive just to see us at a distance, but her uncle getting COVID turned her heart toward her dad. (She calls every week or so, and she has driven down several times a year since we moved here, so I’m not saying her heart has been cold toward her dad, just that it was one of those extra reminders.)

    Liked by 5 people

  56. We ha a good meeting. The family didn’t all come. They have a four year old who wouldn’t have been able to sit still with a playground right there. Message from Hebrews about Christ our high priest. And we sang a few songs.

    Afterwards, Mrs L and I got home before noon and realized our “other” church would still be tere having a carry-in meal together, so we quickly made sandwiches and went over.

    Liked by 1 person

  58. Our virtual service also is the same as always. I sing or hum along at home always for the songs 🙂

    Wishing the best on that communion appeal, cheryl. 🙂

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  59. Did anyone here watch the Masterpiece Mystery series Baptiste that was on not too long ago? If you have the Netflix DVD plan, you may want to check out the series from which his character originally came – The Missing. (If you have the Starz cable channel, you may already have seen it.) It was very good.

    Liked by 1 person

  60. I’ll keep an eye out for it, but don’t think I have netflix dvd plan or Starz (though sometimes it comes through, but usually not; maybe those are freebee weekends when i’ve noticed it actually works for me).

    Tonight is the debut of Perry Mason on HBO, seems to be getting good reviews. They filmed at least part of the series in our downtown (and other) areas. It’s a limited series, a prequel to Perry’s later days that were featured in the TV show of yesteryear. The new one touches on the Azusa Street revival in LA.

    Liked by 1 person

  62. We had a lovely time spent with daughter and her family in town. Now we must head back to town for church in about an hour. But the dog is fed and happy, husband is having a quick nap and I have a headache!
    Dj I so enjoy the old Perry Mason series. I watched as a child with my Grandmother and now I try to catch it on the tv either early morning or late evening. 😊

    Liked by 3 people

  63. DJ – The original series, The Missing, which was on Starz (which I have never gotten), only had two seasons – one in 2014 and one in 2017. The only reason I knew about the show is because I read that the character of Julian Baptiste in PBS’s new Masterpiece Mystery series Baptiste came from that show.

    After enjoying Baptiste on PBS, I looked to see if The Missing is available on Netflix. It is available in DVD, but not streaming.

    Liked by 1 person

  64. It’s funny. I grew up in a home in which PBS was not watched at all. But I discovered Masterpiece Theatre at age 18 in 1979, while flipping through channels for something to watch. Over the years, I have watched most of the Masterpiece Theatre / Masterpiece series (“Theatre” was dropped several years ago), as well as non-Masterpiece offerings such as Brideshead Revisited (which was on Great Performances) and the current Call the Midwife.

    Through those years I have also enjoyed many of the Masterpieces Mystery! series (which used to be just “Mystery!”). I like some of the documentaries and historical or biographical shows they have, too.

    Liked by 2 people

  65. Perry Mason was watched by my parents. I’ve seen some of them as reruns since. The theme music reminds me of my childhood. I probably was in bed by the time the show came on back in the day.

    Shows without cowboys and horses seemed pretty pointless to me.

    Liked by 3 people

  66. Okay, Zoomers.

    I suspect tomorrow, Monday, may be too soon. So I’m game for any time on Wednesday (other than 7-8 Eastern for Kevin) or Thursday. I suspect Thursday might be the best choice.

    OR Tuesday and done by 5:45 California time. We could go from 4:45 to 5:45 California.

    I know some of you actually work during the day, so I figured that time around and through dinner might be best, I apologize to anyone for whom it is actually dinner time.

    So, suggest some dates and times, or I’ll choose something inconvenient for everyone. 🙂

    Off to cook dinner for the dad in my life.

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  67. Tuesday is out for me, as I have a long and tight piano lesson schedule that day. (4:15-8:30 Central Time with a half-hour dinner break.)

    Wednesday I’m open anytime.

    Thursday I may be too emotional to participate, as early that afternoon is my friend’s memorial service.

    I may have to skip it entirely this time, though, depending on how I’m feeling. It’s day by day at this point, grieving-wise.

    Give top priority to the others’ requests.

    Like

  68. I may have to skip “it” — “it” being the Zoom meet, not the memorial service, if that wasn’t clear.

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  70. Also if someone could get ahold of Chas’s daughter to get him on with us. I’m game for those times on Wed or Thurs.

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  71. Well, my weeks can get unpredictable — I have a 5 p.m. PT appt Monday and an eye appt Tuesday (which is at 1 but will require my eyes to be dilated and I’ll be juggling as best I can possibly with the end of the work day afterwards, assuming I can see).

    Perry Mason — this is not your parents’ Perry Mason, just a forewarning.

    It was fun to see the downtown area, one of our coffee houses, historic movie theater.

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  72. I have Zoom meetings Tuesday (early), Wednesday, and Thursday, so pretty much pick a time that works for other people and I’ll see if it works for me. But yes, we need Chas and DJ.

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  73. I walked the dogs, but it wasn’t very far. A block-length was it. 😦 We were all disappointed, but I felt it would be unwise to push it any further as I was hurting.

    I’m still experiencing a lot of pain now and again — and stiffness, tightness — in this knee. It’s discouraging, I will ask the therapist about it tomorrow, whether this is normal for everything to take so long.

    It’s better than it was, but the healing is certainly a slow process.

    Like

  75. Lovely visit with younger daughter, a bit over four hours of sitting outside on the patio and talking. Now she’s halfway through a three-hour drive home.

    The funny thing is, she didn’t get here till maybe 15 minutes before time for the livestream of the evening service, and I had begun to think, “Do I allow my husband to turn on the service if she isn’t here before it starts, or do I tell him, ‘Don’t bother. Our younger daughter is due any time and it would be simpler if we aren’t in the middle of a song when she arrives’?” It wasn’t as if we could invite her in to watch with us! But she came in time and I didn’t have to tell him. She called him and she was on the phone with him when she rang the bell.

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