This past weekend was my time to go to Arkansas for my every other week visit. I have stopped at this rest area before. It is on I-40 going into Arkansas from Oklahoma just outside of Ft. Smith. If you are ever going that way, you should stop and check it out. It is one of the most attractive rest areas I have ever seen. It's built in kind of a log cabin style and the interior is especially beautiful with a huge stone fireplace at one end of the reception area. I took this picture mostly because of the gorgeous azaleas out front but the overall facility is pretty impressive, too.
It's amazing how much of a difference there was in the forest areas of northwest Arkansas from two weeks ago. Two weeks ago there were blooming trees like redbud, wild plum, and dogwood all over the place. Now the forests have filled out with leaves so much that most of the blooming trees are obscured or they have already lost their blooms. The hills are sure looking lush and green. I left Ennis at 5:45 a.m. on Thursday so I could get through Dallas before traffic got too congested and get home early enough to work on our lawn tractor. My farmer friend, Bob, in Ennis loaned me his impact driver which turned out to be just what I needed to get the frozen screw loose so I could replace the damaged part. The mower is fixed and I got nearly an acre of the yard mowed. Merilyn, Sarah, or Blake will now be able to finish it off this week sometime.
We had an excellent Bible study group meeting on Thursday evening. Our hosts had a cook-out for us with burgers, hot dogs, chicken and all the fixings. They even made chocolate cake and homemade ice cream for dessert. While all that was great, the best thing is that the lady of the house had returned from Philadelphia where she had fallen and received injuries that kept her away from home for nearly a month. She is still recuperating but at least she was able to come home. We followed up the feast of food with a spiritual feast of study from Luke 7. It was a wonderful evening.
The rest of my time at home was filled with doctor visits to my family doctor and chiropractor...all just routine stuff...and running various errands and tending to some other chores around the house. It's always a fast and furious time when I go home for a few days every two weeks to get caught up on everything, but I am surely grateful that I have the opportunity to do that. Even though the situations that you are facing in your life may not be exactly what you would like for them to be right now, you can make the best of it all and work toward better times with positive attitudes and faith in God.
We enjoyed an outstanding day at church yesterday. It was Friend's Day and our attendance was around 175, up over 40% of normal. We had ten families or couples visiting from the local area and several of them were former members. Most of them stayed for our fellowship meal and it was just a wonderful day. We will be following up with them through our new visitation ministry so perhaps God will bless our efforts and we will be able to add more members to the church family here.
I hope everyone has a great week. Enjoy God's beautiful Spring!
"Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will dwell in the land and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act." (Psalm 37:3-5)
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