Morning. Cloudy and soon to be rainy day.
Pretty blossom up there. The deer came through last night…we no longer have blossoms where they should be!! 🥴🦌
Good morning! What a lovely color on the header to begin the day❤
I’m having a slow start after all the exercise yestesday. I hope to build back up to walking in the driveway again like I had been doing daily a while back.
It’s so hard to try and stick to good personal habits when family and friends require a break in routine to spend time with them.
Anyone know if this is true? It’s a Twitter post by a pastor with a large ministry.
It is something I’ve been thinking about–how to manage that stress.
(In other curious news, Elon Musk liked my tweet last night about devotions . . . )
Greg Stier
@gregstier
Church history is littered with bad marriages.
John Wesley—founder of the Methodist movement and one of the three key preachers in the First Great Awakening (along with George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards)—had a notoriously bad marriage that was full of fights and fits. He and his wife, Molly, relentlessly insulted each other, and their arguments went from private to public.
John thought Molly was a rebellious woman who should quietly wait for and on him. Molly was tired of being home alone while he was gone for months at a time on preaching trips. Once, in 1758, when John was preparing to go on another preaching tour, his parting words to her were: “I hope I shall see your wicked face no more.”
Not quite pillow talk, Mr. Wesley.
John and Molly separated again and again, until she finally left once and for all. He wrote in his journal, “Finally, she left for good. I did not forsake her, I did not dismiss her, I will not recall her.”
This is sad indeed. A man who is considered by many to be the organizing force behind the First Great Awakening could not organize his life in such away as to prioritize his wife and could not bring a great awakening to his dead marriage.
Wesley pathetically tried to excuse his long absences and cold demeanor behind a ministry mantra: “for the sake of the cause.”
According to Robert Southey, in his book The Life of John Wesley, Wesley compared his own ministry impact with the impact of his wife’s life with these cut-to-the-heart words, “…of what importance is your character to mankind? If you were buried just now, or if you had never lived, what loss would it be to the cause of God.”
Ouch.
Tragically, Wesley is not the only man of God to have a marriage ruled by the Devil. And this is not true just of church history—it’s true all across the world in many churches today.
It was true in my marriage early on.
For the first several years of my marriage, I was busy preaching at my church on Sunday and leading Dare 2 Share the rest of the week. When I wasn’t on the road or in the office, I came home to collapse on the couch and watch television. I, like Wesley, subconsciously excused my lameness in loving my wife and leading my marriage on busyness with “the greater cause” of Christ.
Then one night, it all blew up in my face when our argument spilled over into public, literally during a Bible study. I’ll spare you the gory details, but I ended up in the fetal position in the middle of the Bible study circle, crying unconsolably for 30 minutes. Why? Because I knew she was right and I was wrong.
I was a jerk! I hadn’t been paying attention to her and her needs. I had been pulling a Wesley, “for the sake of the cause.” I wanted my wife Debbie to just suck it up so I could go on the road and save lost souls.
It was my soul that needed to be saved, not from the flames of Hell, but from the ice-coldness of a marriage on life-support.
That moment marked a turnaround point—not an immediate, full 180, but more like a Wall Street graph headed in the right direction. Yes, there have been—and continue to be—ups and downs. But my wife is the love of my life, and we’ve now been co-laboring side-by-side for, as of yesterday, 33 years!
Now we’re together “for the sake of the cause.”
Busyness from saving souls and leading ministries is not a good excuse for a bad marriage. Instead, our marriages should be a shining example of the Gospel, full of forgiveness, reconciliation and on-going transformation because of the example of Christ on the cross and power that comes through His Spirit.
Meanwhile, from a rather long piece by David Brooks about our culture:
~ Mature people are calm amid the storm because their perception lets them see the present challenges from a long-term vantage. They know that feeling crappy about yourself sometimes is a normal part of life. They are considerate to and gracious toward others because they can see situations from multiple perspectives. They can withstand the setbacks because they have pointed their life toward some concrete moral goal.
David A. Bednar, a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once observed that “one of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience and the potentially offensive actions of others.”
In other words, a sign of maturity is the ability to respond with understanding when other people have done something stupid and given you the opportunity to feel superior.
The best life is a series of daring explorations launched from a secure base. The therapeutic culture undermined that inner security for several generations of Americans. Maybe we can try to build a culture around the ideal of maturity, and its quiet strength. ~
It’s so hot outside that I feel wilty going to the mailbox. We don’t expect rain to cool the temp down today as it has most days lately. I may do my exercise bike instead of driveway walking today.
We’ve had sports overload here with Falcons football and a Braves game on tv last night and then a rerun of the Braves game instead of news or World Cup games this morning. Totally not used to baseball with morning coffee!
I don’t know how folks in the south deal with the heat and humidity.
We’ve been so far fortunate in what’s been a mild summer. I don’t think the coastal LA area where I am has even broken 90 degrees all summer, and mostly has stayed in the mid-70s — to mid-80s at the hottest, though our humidity has been a bit higher than usual for us so it’s felt warmer at times.
A friend vacationing in the Pacific Northwest this week has hit hot weather even in those parts. 😦
My friend left for home this morning. I am so tired. It was a good visit. But for me to be social for two days is difficult. I need my alone time.
She is 82 and getting forgetful. Very thin.
But God gave me simple ideas for meals and I found a store with my families coffee and they even had a simple filter to put over a mug and brew just one cup. Exactly what I was looking for.
My friend likes to give gifts and wondered if I would like a copy of the Passion Bible. Does anyone know anything about it?
I told her that I have been wanting a John MacArthur study Bible, new American standard. So she will send me one
Other than family this was my first company. It was nice to hear that she liked my quiet and peaceful home. She was amazed by this development, but I guess it is certainly different than Pacifica
Surprise! A storm with gusty wind, thunder and lots of rain popped up to cool us down again. It was not predicted. God still shows off at times! He is in charge!!!
I think I resemble that article, Dj, but it was too long for me to read it all to be sure😀
When it stops raining, I hope to walk in the puddles on the driveway.
I have a big pan of hashy browns with onions cooking. It’s all for Art for this week. He will be happy no matter what else ends up as the entree.
Good day, all. We have had a very good day. Took a little drive out into the mountains. Stopped at pheasant camp (where meriweather Lewis camped a few years back), Lolo and el dorado campgrounds to show my brother, and up to the Lewis and Clark cedar grove, where William Clark camped. My dad got out and walked and sat and walked and walked and sat. We got back to the car where we sat some more and had a picnic before heading home. My dad was awake and alert the whole way but did say his legs were getting wobbly toward the end. He also ate a peanut butter sandwich.
Picked up some groceries and a prescription at the pharmacy.
Glad to hear about the good friend visit, Jo — and your relief from the heat with with some rain, Janice.
I mostly puttered around the house, didn’t get a whole lot accomplished, but some — and getting ideas for reorganizing some areas. The house is a tumble and a jumble after what’s been a trying year. Abby’s X-Large crate in the living room is a challenge, but she loves that thing.
Can’t remember if I’d mentioned it here or not, but I did unearth the loose-leaf journal that had gone missing for a while — though I wasn’t much in the mood for journaling during this past 1-2 years. Still, nice to find it, even with. the grim final post — from Dec. 31, 2020 — when so much in my life and for those around me was spiraling downward.
Anyway, time to start up again, it was always such a good outlet for writing out prayers and keeping current spiritually.
I didn’t post things every day, only when I felt like it, but usually had several entries for each month through the years (this version of the journal began in 2015).
We had two rounds with the storm last night, so no walk for me! More downed trees and power outages.
A late storm is predicted for today, but it’s hot and sunny currently.
We had a good global missions luncheon after church so I got home at 2:30. Nice to get acquainted with a few more of the members.
I was able to represent the older members who have a heart for missions but are unable to go. I had a suggestion for a hands-on mission that the older people might want to do.
Here’s something I commented on a friend’s FB post. The discussion on his post was about brothers bribing each other to not tell on them. This was my comment:
“In my house, I’m the one who is in cahoots with my grandson to not tell his mom certain things. 😄
Of course, I do tell her something if it is really important. And sometimes I tell her something he wouldn’t want me to tell but she needs to know, and tell her, “Don’t tell him that I told you!”
I have to keep the lines of communication and trust open with my grandson (he’s 12 now), but also alert my daughter to things she should know. Sometimes it is kind of like walking a tightrope. 🙂 (But worth it.)”
Nightingale knows that there are things I don’t tell her, and why, and she agrees with my reasoning.
And here we learn that ninety three year olds can be difficult to keep up with. Just finished our third round of corn hole, about an hour and a half each. Ninety degrees out. That man is an athlete and competitive!
Started the day off with church then afterwards headed to a dear friend’s home to celebrate her youngest daughter’s bridal shower. The wedding is next month and everyone is a flutter with preparations and excitement!
Well for an old person I have learned something new…and if I did know I have forgotten….the two top spots cannot come from the same state? Is that being born in the same state or living in the same state while running for office?
Wandering Views 
So glad that young man and his roommates place was spared. I would imagine experiencing this will change them for life.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Morning. Cloudy and soon to be rainy day.
Pretty blossom up there. The deer came through last night…we no longer have blossoms where they should be!! 🥴🦌
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good morning! What a lovely color on the header to begin the day❤
I’m having a slow start after all the exercise yestesday. I hope to build back up to walking in the driveway again like I had been doing daily a while back.
It’s so hard to try and stick to good personal habits when family and friends require a break in routine to spend time with them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anyone know if this is true? It’s a Twitter post by a pastor with a large ministry.
It is something I’ve been thinking about–how to manage that stress.
(In other curious news, Elon Musk liked my tweet last night about devotions . . . )
Greg Stier
@gregstier
Church history is littered with bad marriages.
John Wesley—founder of the Methodist movement and one of the three key preachers in the First Great Awakening (along with George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards)—had a notoriously bad marriage that was full of fights and fits. He and his wife, Molly, relentlessly insulted each other, and their arguments went from private to public.
John thought Molly was a rebellious woman who should quietly wait for and on him. Molly was tired of being home alone while he was gone for months at a time on preaching trips. Once, in 1758, when John was preparing to go on another preaching tour, his parting words to her were: “I hope I shall see your wicked face no more.”
Not quite pillow talk, Mr. Wesley.
John and Molly separated again and again, until she finally left once and for all. He wrote in his journal, “Finally, she left for good. I did not forsake her, I did not dismiss her, I will not recall her.”
This is sad indeed. A man who is considered by many to be the organizing force behind the First Great Awakening could not organize his life in such away as to prioritize his wife and could not bring a great awakening to his dead marriage.
Wesley pathetically tried to excuse his long absences and cold demeanor behind a ministry mantra: “for the sake of the cause.”
According to Robert Southey, in his book The Life of John Wesley, Wesley compared his own ministry impact with the impact of his wife’s life with these cut-to-the-heart words, “…of what importance is your character to mankind? If you were buried just now, or if you had never lived, what loss would it be to the cause of God.”
Ouch.
Tragically, Wesley is not the only man of God to have a marriage ruled by the Devil. And this is not true just of church history—it’s true all across the world in many churches today.
It was true in my marriage early on.
For the first several years of my marriage, I was busy preaching at my church on Sunday and leading Dare 2 Share the rest of the week. When I wasn’t on the road or in the office, I came home to collapse on the couch and watch television. I, like Wesley, subconsciously excused my lameness in loving my wife and leading my marriage on busyness with “the greater cause” of Christ.
Then one night, it all blew up in my face when our argument spilled over into public, literally during a Bible study. I’ll spare you the gory details, but I ended up in the fetal position in the middle of the Bible study circle, crying unconsolably for 30 minutes. Why? Because I knew she was right and I was wrong.
I was a jerk! I hadn’t been paying attention to her and her needs. I had been pulling a Wesley, “for the sake of the cause.” I wanted my wife Debbie to just suck it up so I could go on the road and save lost souls.
It was my soul that needed to be saved, not from the flames of Hell, but from the ice-coldness of a marriage on life-support.
That moment marked a turnaround point—not an immediate, full 180, but more like a Wall Street graph headed in the right direction. Yes, there have been—and continue to be—ups and downs. But my wife is the love of my life, and we’ve now been co-laboring side-by-side for, as of yesterday, 33 years!
Now we’re together “for the sake of the cause.”
Busyness from saving souls and leading ministries is not a good excuse for a bad marriage. Instead, our marriages should be a shining example of the Gospel, full of forgiveness, reconciliation and on-going transformation because of the example of Christ on the cross and power that comes through His Spirit.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Just saw that ‘marriage’ tweet, m.
Meanwhile, from a rather long piece by David Brooks about our culture:
~ Mature people are calm amid the storm because their perception lets them see the present challenges from a long-term vantage. They know that feeling crappy about yourself sometimes is a normal part of life. They are considerate to and gracious toward others because they can see situations from multiple perspectives. They can withstand the setbacks because they have pointed their life toward some concrete moral goal.
David A. Bednar, a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once observed that “one of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience and the potentially offensive actions of others.”
In other words, a sign of maturity is the ability to respond with understanding when other people have done something stupid and given you the opportunity to feel superior.
The best life is a series of daring explorations launched from a secure base. The therapeutic culture undermined that inner security for several generations of Americans. Maybe we can try to build a culture around the ideal of maturity, and its quiet strength. ~
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s so hot outside that I feel wilty going to the mailbox. We don’t expect rain to cool the temp down today as it has most days lately. I may do my exercise bike instead of driveway walking today.
We’ve had sports overload here with Falcons football and a Braves game on tv last night and then a rerun of the Braves game instead of news or World Cup games this morning. Totally not used to baseball with morning coffee!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know how folks in the south deal with the heat and humidity.
We’ve been so far fortunate in what’s been a mild summer. I don’t think the coastal LA area where I am has even broken 90 degrees all summer, and mostly has stayed in the mid-70s — to mid-80s at the hottest, though our humidity has been a bit higher than usual for us so it’s felt warmer at times.
A friend vacationing in the Pacific Northwest this week has hit hot weather even in those parts. 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
My friend left for home this morning. I am so tired. It was a good visit. But for me to be social for two days is difficult. I need my alone time.
She is 82 and getting forgetful. Very thin.
But God gave me simple ideas for meals and I found a store with my families coffee and they even had a simple filter to put over a mug and brew just one cup. Exactly what I was looking for.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I was catching up on the blog and spent an hour watching the tucker interview with Chief Sund. Very interesting. I plan to buy his book
LikeLiked by 2 people
My friend likes to give gifts and wondered if I would like a copy of the Passion Bible. Does anyone know anything about it?
I told her that I have been wanting a John MacArthur study Bible, new American standard. So she will send me one
LikeLiked by 2 people
Other than family this was my first company. It was nice to hear that she liked my quiet and peaceful home. She was amazed by this development, but I guess it is certainly different than Pacifica
LikeLiked by 3 people
Surprise! A storm with gusty wind, thunder and lots of rain popped up to cool us down again. It was not predicted. God still shows off at times! He is in charge!!!
I think I resemble that article, Dj, but it was too long for me to read it all to be sure😀
When it stops raining, I hope to walk in the puddles on the driveway.
I have a big pan of hashy browns with onions cooking. It’s all for Art for this week. He will be happy no matter what else ends up as the entree.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy for you, Jo. Being a sociable introvert has its challenges.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was 91° and humid. Now it is 79° and more humid.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good day, all. We have had a very good day. Took a little drive out into the mountains. Stopped at pheasant camp (where meriweather Lewis camped a few years back), Lolo and el dorado campgrounds to show my brother, and up to the Lewis and Clark cedar grove, where William Clark camped. My dad got out and walked and sat and walked and walked and sat. We got back to the car where we sat some more and had a picnic before heading home. My dad was awake and alert the whole way but did say his legs were getting wobbly toward the end. He also ate a peanut butter sandwich.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Picked up some groceries and a prescription at the pharmacy.
Glad to hear about the good friend visit, Jo — and your relief from the heat with with some rain, Janice.
I mostly puttered around the house, didn’t get a whole lot accomplished, but some — and getting ideas for reorganizing some areas. The house is a tumble and a jumble after what’s been a trying year. Abby’s X-Large crate in the living room is a challenge, but she loves that thing.
Can’t remember if I’d mentioned it here or not, but I did unearth the loose-leaf journal that had gone missing for a while — though I wasn’t much in the mood for journaling during this past 1-2 years. Still, nice to find it, even with. the grim final post — from Dec. 31, 2020 — when so much in my life and for those around me was spiraling downward.
Anyway, time to start up again, it was always such a good outlet for writing out prayers and keeping current spiritually.
I didn’t post things every day, only when I felt like it, but usually had several entries for each month through the years (this version of the journal began in 2015).
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Passion Bible is not a translation, it’s like The Message (brain not working with words today), a paraphrase.
Some people like because it gives a different point of view on Scriptures you well know. That, at least, is how/why I sometimes pick up The Message.
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Thanks, Michelle
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I’m speaking at church again today. This time Psalm 121. Look to God, not creation for help.
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Good morning, all. I see DJ is running for President. I am excited to see how Abby will do in the White House.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Oh, Abby would be wonderful in the White House, no-Biden-era bites!
Just licks … lots of licks! Once she warmed up to someone, that is; otherwise she stands behind me with new people.
She’d probably be better at all of it than I would. Abby for President, me for VP, maybe.
Met a new dog at church today, Lotus, a seeing-eye dog.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Excellent sermon today from a visiting pastor on the spiritual call to believers for gratitude in all of life.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We had two rounds with the storm last night, so no walk for me! More downed trees and power outages.
A late storm is predicted for today, but it’s hot and sunny currently.
We had a good global missions luncheon after church so I got home at 2:30. Nice to get acquainted with a few more of the members.
I was able to represent the older members who have a heart for missions but are unable to go. I had a suggestion for a hands-on mission that the older people might want to do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here’s something I commented on a friend’s FB post. The discussion on his post was about brothers bribing each other to not tell on them. This was my comment:
“In my house, I’m the one who is in cahoots with my grandson to not tell his mom certain things. 😄
Of course, I do tell her something if it is really important. And sometimes I tell her something he wouldn’t want me to tell but she needs to know, and tell her, “Don’t tell him that I told you!”
I have to keep the lines of communication and trust open with my grandson (he’s 12 now), but also alert my daughter to things she should know. Sometimes it is kind of like walking a tightrope. 🙂 (But worth it.)”
Nightingale knows that there are things I don’t tell her, and why, and she agrees with my reasoning.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s a good way to walk the tightrope, Kizzie!
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Well, DJ, you and your dog could not be Pres and VP since the dog is not old enough and the Constitution doesn’t allow both to be from the same state.
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And here we learn that ninety three year olds can be difficult to keep up with. Just finished our third round of corn hole, about an hour and a half each. Ninety degrees out. That man is an athlete and competitive!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Started the day off with church then afterwards headed to a dear friend’s home to celebrate her youngest daughter’s bridal shower. The wedding is next month and everyone is a flutter with preparations and excitement!
Well for an old person I have learned something new…and if I did know I have forgotten….the two top spots cannot come from the same state? Is that being born in the same state or living in the same state while running for office?
LikeLiked by 1 person