50 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 4-9-22”

  1. It’s days like this that I realize Chas is no longer with us. By this time of day he’d be telling us to get out of bed, sleepyheads.

    Liked by 5 people

  2. Morning! Lovely flowers up there Janice….and just where are all the sleepy heads on the fine Saturday morn? Peter thanks for the sweet reminder of Chas’ morning wake up call…now I guess I shall go in the kitchen to have my Cheerios!! 😊

    Liked by 3 people

  4. I had to laugh at the “Don’t say, ‘eh’ satire. We are sometimes mistaken for being from Canada when traveling. My husband actually had someone ask him, “You must be from Canada, eh?” when he called in a pizza order. Maybe he did say eh. We all use expressions that we do not even realize. Apparently ‘ope’ is also a big one around here. Yes, you do realize it is used when you listen for it. My husband tells me he was frequently poked fun of when he was in the military in California and would ask someone if they wanted to come with? They would ask, “With what?” Part of the fun of traveling is noting the differences in speech.

    Liked by 7 people

  5. I woke up early (7 a.m.) for me on a Saturday, but I was so tired last night I also fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed (at around 11). I usually read for a while before turning the lights off, not last night.
    ___________________________

    Good piece via a Challies link this morning:

    https://www.ccef.org/painful-surprises-and-the-emmaus-road/

    ~ … something unexpected and unwelcome occurs, and you are stunned by the pain. The most painful surprises are the ones you never saw coming. I’m talking about those moments when you find yourself in shock, saying to yourself, “This wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t supposed to be like this!”

    The breakup you never wanted and never saw coming. Walking into your boss’s office hoping for a promotion and leaving his office without a job. Assuming you are in your prime years until the moment you receive the grim news of a serious medical diagnosis.

    And I don’t think this only applies to big disappointments but small insignificant ones as well, especially when we rely on predictability to provide us comfort or a sense of control: becoming enraged because a restaurant got your takeout order wrong, breaking down in tears when a friend cancels your plans together, snapping at your children because they made an unexpected mess. It seems that both our most traumatic and most triggering experiences occur in the moments when we were expecting something good and were blindsided by something that was far from good.

    I expect that the disciples on the road to Emmaus felt this way. These two men were reviewing how things had gone horribly wrong, and they sorrowfully (and unknowingly) recounted these things to Jesus. They had expected Jesus to redeem Israel, but their hopes were crushed by his crucifixion, and they assumed it was all over.

    Jesus responded to them (my paraphrase): “You expected something else, so you can neither recognize the truth of God’s storyline nor locate your place in it.” He then reoriented them to his story and reenacted his last meal with them. Their eyes were opened, and for the first time, they saw that Jesus’ suffering and death were not only predicted but necessary for the glorious redemption that they had hoped for.

    What a clear picture of the kind of help we often need. We need to be repeatedly reoriented to God’s storyline, our place in it, and what part we play. What I mean is this:

    * We default to interpreting pain and brokenness (especially when they surprise us) as dangerous signs that our stories have gone off the rails or that God’s promises are in jeopardy. The truth is that our union with Christ means it is necessary that we “suffer these things [before we can] enter into…glory” (Luke 24:26).

    * We default to pursuing resolution in the here and now—believing that we can obtain and maintain order, purpose, and fruitfulness; achieve resolution in our work, security, and stability; maintain longevity in our relationships; and overcome pain and postpone death. The truth is that we should grieve deeply that brokenness remains in our story as we accept that there are still many “not yets” in this chapter.

    * We default to believing that the burden to create a good story for ourselves is on our shoulders. For things to turn out right, we must be more savvy, more skillful, more resilient, or more responsible. The truth is that our story is in the hands of a good and wise Author, and we can trust that he’s moving things in the best direction. …

    … I imagine today, tomorrow, and the next day, Jesus will invite you to see that your story is more than meets the eye. When you experience a painful surprise, Jesus is there with you. He will reorient you to what’s true here and now and help you to see that your road will also end in glorious redemption. ~
    _____________________________________

    Liked by 2 people

  6. And then there’s this 🙂 when we’re in the dumps:

    ~ Jack Miller, who was an American Pastor, famously used to say, ‘Cheer up, you’re worse than you think’. ~

    Liked by 4 people

  7. I use “eh” as well, the result of four years living not far from the Canadian border.

    I also use Hawai’ian words from time to time, and find myself pronouncing some words with a New England accent, you know, eh, “caah, and abOWt?

    We took a five mile hike yesterday at Point Reyes National Seashore. We got home afterward and laid around the rest of the day. The daughter and I both were in bed by 8:30, exhausted!

    Reading today for Tuesday’s blog and Bible study. I’ve got a fascinating book called “The Crucifixion of the King of Glory: The Amazing History and Subline Mystery of the Passion” by Dr. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou.

    Absolutely terrific and full of insight I’d never seen before. Metaxas interviewed her last week and I bought the book before he even finished the interview, it’s that astonishing and wonderful.

    Off to read and take notes–it’s littered with post-it notes already, and then we’re headed to an Easter-themed family fun day at church with 5 Adorables, followed by choir practice at 5. We’re singing a cantata in both services tomorrow, my husband, daughter, and me/I.

    I think we’ll have to stop off for dinner on the way home for the second straight day. Score!

    Liked by 5 people

  9. And I can’t remember the last time I was up before 7 a.m. 🙂

    +++++++++++++++++++++

    Love that I can get out of signing petitions (not permitted by our company, wisely) and can dispense with the door-to-door or supermarket pitches quickly.

    Liked by 3 people

  10. I can’t remember the last time I was still in bed after seven. Maybe that Boise experience when I was so sick and slept for three or four or five days.

    Liked by 3 people

  12. Good afternoon, all. I had my Word Weavers meeting this morning in the beautiful country club small meeting room. It was a group of four until another lady arrived much later. We are looking for another meeting space since renovations are planned for this facility.

    In the header photo you can see the red dumpster in the background which is in the neighbor’s driveway. They took it away and brought it back empty this week. I still can’t imagine what all the work on the house is about. I heard of another family nearby who moved because the landlord was raising rent.

    It’s so cold here today. The friend I rode to the meeting with said it’s blackberry winter.

    I look forward to seeing how my new church does Palm Sunday.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Foggy here this morning after lots of rain yesterday. I went to a cafe that we do for each other here with a friend yesterday. I feel like I am still full of the wonderful cheesecake. They even do lattes.
    Still trying to decide if I will go to actual church or virtual church this morning.

    Liked by 3 people

  14. I am still pondering how I will do the Easter story this week. I have one boy, Israel, who has never been to church and never heard anything from the Bible. Please pray for him and for me as I teach.

    Liked by 4 people

  18. The ring is Elizabeth’s great grandmother’s engagement ring. It was repointed, and a missing stone replaced. It’s beautiful and it means a lot to Elizabeth.

    Liked by 6 people

  19. Congratulations, AJ, to your daughter and Isaac! It is wonderful to know you think so highly of him and are so happy for your daughter.

    Liked by 4 people

  21. Oh my goodness congratulations Liz and Isaac….. and Aj and Cheryl on this blessing of a son! ❤️ I teared up reading about the beautiful ring….what a cherished gift to be placed upon her finger by her beloved. I’ll go ahead and ask….have they set the date!??

    Liked by 3 people

  22. No date yet but later this year is what I’m told. They just want a small ceremony and reception. They’re smart and want to do it on a budget. I’d rather give them a large gift to start their future together than to spend it all on a big wedding. They’re smart enough to agree. 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

  29. Excitement abounds! Congratulations on this momentous event❤
    My heart is happy to hear this special news. The ring is beautiful and meaningful in more ways than one. And I am glad that you all are budget minded and not being frivolous regarding wedding expenses. Today, especially with inflation, those wedding expenditures could easily cost a year’s salary. That is a good nest egg. And as Christians what they are doing, along with your blessing upon their choice, is showing good stewardship of God’s resources. May He richly bless and reward them throughout their marriage.🙏

    Liked by 2 people

  41. It is snowing here. I am thankful for a warm house and praying for those brothers and sisters in Ukraine and Russia, who are suffering from the cold, without a house anymore.

    Liked by 2 people

  44. It was foggy and drizzly this morning when we woke at 6! Yay puppy slept in!!
    Now it is extremely windy and everyone is on high alert for fire potential. There is one fire burning in Pueblo but nothing here so far. I drove into town after church and the state patrol and fire trucks were parked on the side of the interstate chatting….I’m thinking they are preparing just in case. (It truly was a scary drive with both hands firmly on the steering wheel just trying to keep the car in my own lane as the wind gusts were horrid!)

    Liked by 1 person

  45. Pueblo sounds familiar, I think I was there on one of the family ancestry jaunts.

    Sleeping puppies are good.

    It’s 68 degrees here, some sun, but a very normal (weather) day for us.

    Liked by 1 person

  48. I think it is wonderful you could have that ring for Elizabeth. I do have one of my mom’s, but it was a battle to keep my sister from selling all my mother’s jewelry (including wedding rings) at a consignment shop. I am glad Elizabeth cherishes it and now it will have even greater meaning to you all.

    Liked by 2 people

  49. It’s been a busy people day. The weather has gotten warmer here and I had to quickly pull off my wool socks so I could cool down. Miss Bosley decided it was cuddle time right when I felt like I was roasting. It is too difficult to acclimate with all these extremes in temps. I could not get warm enough yesterday. I got chilled in the service this morning. Now the opposite. Nickname me Goldilocks today who just wants to be comfortable.

    Church was so good. The sermon was about the reasons people give for doubting Jesus is the Messiah. It was also about those who are Christians who don’t share Jesus with others because they doubt it will make a difference. One thing brought up in Sunday school was about that everyone will have a bodily resurrection, not just the Christians, so that the body as well as the soul of unbelievers are destinrd to suffer in hell. Very sobering thought and a great motivation to keep sharing Jesus.

    Like

Leave a comment

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