9/29/09...A day to remember

Yesterday was a wonderful day for a number of reasons. First, the weather was about as close to perfect as it could be. The early morning temperature was around 60 and it stayed in the mid to upper 70's for most of the day with a beautiful blue sky and low humidity. Second, my time in the office in the morning was unusually productive. Sometimes when I sit down to study and write, the ideas are as hard to grab as a greased pig at a county fair. At other times, everything flows like a beautiful mountain stream. Fortunately, it was the latter for me yesterday. Third, in the afternoon after lunch I had the pleasure of visiting in the homes of two of our older widow ladies from church. Being able to do this is one of the things I like best about my work as a minister. Of course, God says this is part of pure religion in James 1:27. But I just enjoy being in their homes, hearing their stories, getting to know one another better, and giving them some encouragement. Fourth, it was a great joy for me to assist a young couple in obeying God's will for their lives. They have been attending regularly and the husband called me yesterday to say that they were ready to obey the Gospel. At a little after 4 p.m., I baptized them both into Christ. His parents are long time members of the congregation. Everyone in the church family will be rejoicing when they hear. Fifth, I had the pleasure of accepting an invitation on Sunday from one of the couples in the church for supper last night. She prepared an excellent salad that had lettuce, sliced strawberries, almonds, avocado pieces and poppy seed dressing. I could have made a meal on that! But there was also baked salmon, baked potatoes, dinner rolls and homemade brownies with ice cream for dessert. It was excellent! I stayed and visited with them until 9 p.m. Sixth, when I left this couple's home, I checked my cell phone to find that I had missed a call from a couple who are great friends of our family from when we lived in Alvin, Texas. I called them back and they are going to be up here in Dallas this weekend for a wedding so they plan to come to Ennis to worship with us this Sunday morning. Also, the Arkansas Razorback vs. Texas A & M football game is at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington this weekend and several of our church friends from Springdale said that they would try to come to worship with us while they are here for the game.

So, 9/29/09 was an outstanding day. But then, every day is an outstanding day when you are in Christ and you know that you are part of the family of God. Hope everyone has an excellent day today!

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Exciting day ahead!

One of the efforts I am making in the church family here is to get out into the homes of as many of the members as I can so we can have a time to visit and get to know one another better. To help facilitate this I put a sign up sheet out each Sunday for folks to let me know when would be a good time to come. This past Sunday two of our widow ladies signed up for an afternoon visit for today and one of our couples signed up for an evening visit as well as inviting me to come to have supper with them. These visits would make the day exciting enough, but then I got a phone call early yesterday afternoon from a young man. His folks are long time members of the congregation. He and his wife have attended sporadically in the past but they have been attending regularly since I came to Ennis. They are both professional people, probably in their late 20's or early 30's. He called to ask if I was busy on Tuesday evening. My first thought was that they wanted to have me over to their home for a visit. When I explained that I had plans with the couple for supper and a visit in their home, he asked if we could work out a time for them to come to the church building because he and his wife had been talking a lot over the past few weeks and they have decided to be baptized. I nearly fell out of my chair! I told him how excited I was that they made this decision and to pick out a time that would be convenient for them and I would make it work. So they are coming at 4 p.m. to be baptized into Christ. I am looking forward to announcing that to the church this Sunday. Everyone will be thrilled!

There is a nice nip in the air this morning. My car thermometer had a reading of 61 degrees but it felt even cooler than that. After 95 degrees on Sunday afternoon, this feels mighty good to me! There are even a few trees around here that are starting to show some autumn colors.

Since my afternoon and evening are booked up, I had better close this and get as much done as I can this morning. God bless you!

I'm baaaaccckkk!

If you have never seen the old Poltergeist movies, then the title above may not make any sense to you. Get the movies and watch the whole series and then you will understand. These days we all have so much spare time that you will undoubtedly be able to work that into your schedule soon (Ha,ha!).
I am back in Ennis from my trip to Arkansas last week. It was an excellent trip but so busy that I did not have a chance to write any blogs while I was there. On Monday evening I got home just in time for a nice thunderstorm. On Tuesday morning I met with the Washington County Board of Equalization in an effort to get them to revise the valuation on our house for tax purposes; they said they will take it under advisement and let us know something soon. Later in the morning I visited with some folks at the Robinson Avenue church office. In the evening we had dinner with friends and then later a visit with other friends in their home. On Wednesday morning I had a chiropractor appointment and had to take my car to get an oil change. In the evening, Merilyn and I went to a home Bible study with some friends. On Thursday morning I took Merilyn's car for an oil change. In the evening I met with my Thursday evening Bible study group. In between all of these things I was staying busy trying to get ready for a garage sale which we had on Friday morning. As things slacked up a bit around noon I got a bite of lunch and then did yard work for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening we went to dinner with friends and then to the Springdale High vs. Har-Ber High football game. On Saturday morning we got everything wrapped up from the garage sale, got my laundry done, and got packed up to come back to Texas. It was a busy, busy week but Merilyn and I got a lot done and we surely enjoyed the opportunity to visit with friends and family while I was in Springdale.
We had good Bible study and worship times in the Ennis church yesterday. Several of our folks were absent with some going to a congregation in Duncanville for a missions meeting and others involved in activities at the Texas Motorplex just outside of town for the NHRA Fall Nationals drag racing competition. I had a great surprise in the evening as Mary Ellen Cate from Springdale was with us for worship. She is down here in Waxahachie visiting her sons Rick and Mark and their family. It was a treat to see her.
Fall is definitely coming. Even down here in Texas you can feel a bit of a cool nip in the air in the early morning. As I went up through Oklahoma and Arkansas last week it was evident that the trees are starting to get a tinge of autumn color. God is good to us. Be thankful for His many abundant blessings every day!

The heavens are telling the glory of God and the firmament proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)

On the road again

This morning I will head back to Arkansas for a visit with Merilyn, Sarah and Blake, to meet with my Thursday night Bible study group, and to meet with the Washington County Equalization Board. It has been a busy weekend and Sunday. On Thursday, we had the funeral for the brother who passed away early last week and in the evening a group of us went to the Eastern European Missions dinner at the Hilton Lincoln Center in Dallas. On Friday I worked in the office most of the day except for going to the emergency room at the local hospital to see one of our men who was taken ill. They finally determined he had a blood clot in a lung, started him on anticoagulant therapy and sent him to Baylor in Dallas. He is doing much better now. I worked in the office again on Saturday since I will be in Arkansas most of this week. It was a nice surprise on Saturday morning when I heard back from a couple who I had called on Friday to see if I could come to visit them. They have been visiting in our worship for the past several weeks and are not members. They invited me for supper Saturday evening and we talked about their desire to become members of the church. We will have some Bible study time together so they can understand God's teaching about what it means to become a disciple and then see what they decide. Sunday was a good day with attendance continuing to improve and new visitors coming. The members of the congregation are excited and enthusiastic as they see good things happening. The church members are telling me continually how glad they are that I have come to work with them. Of course, that is encouraging and makes me feel good. It is most encouraging to see how they are responding to the preaching and teaching of God's Word.

It is just about time for me to start heading north to Arkansas. I'm not sure how many more entries I will have this week but I will try to have another one or two and then get back on a regular schedule starting next Monday. God bless!

Each new day is an opportunity to start all over again...to cleanse our hearts and minds anew and to clarify our vision. And let us not clutter up today with the leavings of other days. (author unknown)

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

Busy days!

Yesterday I had planned to go to the noon Lion's Club meeting and be installed as a new member, but with the funeral preparations, going to get acquainted with the funeral home and all the other things that needed to be done, I called my sponsor and asked that we postpone for a few weeks since I am going to be in Arkansas most of next week.
When I stepped outside this morning it was raining again. It was not a great surprise after watching the weather report last night. This pesky low pressure system has been circulating over Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma since last Thursday, drawing moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico and dumping it throughout the area. The weather reporter I watched last night said some meteorologists are calling this type of system a "landphoon" because it is similar to a typhoon.
Today will be another busy one with the funeral this morning, work in the office this afternoon and then this evening I will be going with a group from church to a dinner for Eastern European Missions up in Dallas.
We all have busy lives these days, don't we? That just seems to be part of what it means to be a member of American society. No matter what is happening in your life or how busy you get, always remember Who comes first.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Some mundane and some vitally important

Yesterday morning the rains finally stopped and by evening we had the first view of a clear blue sky since last Wednesday. One of our elders stopped by the office and said his rain gauge showed over 11 inches at his house. From what I see on the weather news and from what Merilyn tells me, it seems that this rain system has moved up into Arkansas over the past few days. The weather reporter I watched last night said that it looks like the whole system is now going to back up and give Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma another dose!
In the afternoon I got to meet with the family of the gentleman who passed away on Monday. She is a strong woman and is fortunate to have an excellent support system of family and Christian family who will help her through the days ahead. Still, I can't imagine what it would be like to go home to an empty house after 61 years of marriage. She told me yesterday, "I've never been alone. I lived with my parents until we got married and we've been together ever since." There is a couple here in the church who both lost their spouses back in the 1990's then married one another. They carry out an excellent grief recovery ministry by sharing with those who have lost loved ones two books and four booklets over the course of the first year after the death. I hope these materials will help Bobbie.
In the evening I kept my schedule clear because I had to do laundry. It was not that I needed to do laundry...I had to do laundry, if you get my drift. While in the apartment complex's laundromat I met an interesting fellow named Abdul who was wearing the long, flowing garments of a man who is obviously of Middle Eastern origin. He is from Palestine. He is here from Detroit, separated from his family, and working down here because he lost his job up there. I have found that situation to be more and more prevalent in the current economy.
I just got a phone call a few minutes ago from a friend named Tom in Fayetteville, AR who found out yesterday afternoon that he has multiple myeloma. Tom is probably around 40, married, and has two young daughters. He said it's a good news, bad news type of scenario. The bad news is that it is multiple myeloma, but the cancer is stage one so they have caught it early. The doctor there wants him to go to UAMS in Little Rock for evaluation and treatment because one of the top doctors in the nation for treating myeloma is there. Please remember this fine Christian man in your prayers. He has great faith and a great attitude, determined to fight and win this battle.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate the comments, emails and Facebook messages that many of you leave. If you would, share my blog address with anyone who you think may be interested in reading. God bless you today!

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

Going to and fro throughout the land

I spent a good part of the day yesterday at the Baylor Medical Center in Dallas after receiving a call that the doctors caring for one of our elderly gentlemen advised the family to remove life support. All of their four children were able to be there as well as most of the nine grandchildren. He was 81 years old and enjoyed a marriage of nearly 62 years with his surviving wife. They have been strong, faithful members of the church. It was good to see them rely on their faith, knowing that Robert's suffering was over and he was going to be with the Lord. For several hours before they removed the life support, it was touching to watch the family members talking to him and saying their final good-byes. There were tears and there was laughter. Robert loved singing and was a song leader at church for many years. One of the daughters said, "Daddy, later on today you will get to hear the angels singing in Heaven." What a great thought!
After returning from Dallas, I was able to get some things done in the office. Since the weather has been so rainy I went over to get my exercise on the treadmill at the home of one of our elders. They have been so gracious and helpful since I have come to Ennis. When I got done I got supper at my apartment, got cleaned up and went to Corsicana to visit a gentleman who has been coming to visit in our worship assemblies for the past month or so. He seems to be a great guy who is having some tough times. He is striving to be a faithful member of the church but is going through a divorce after over 25 years of marriage. I hope my visit was an encouragement to him. As an aside, he has a cat that looks remarkably like my mother's cat, a beautiful gray coat with white markings on its feet and chest. It was a feral cat that was captured and adopted with quite a story behind it as they worked to tame it over the course of many months. It has the greenest eyes that I have ever seen. They almost seemed luminescent. But the feral may not be totally out of it yet. It is very playful. Several times while I was petting it, it wanted to start clawing and biting. At one point as we were talking, the man said, "Cat!", in a sharp tone of voice. I looked around and the cat was on the back of the sofa twitching its tail a few feet away from my head. He said he thought it was getting ready to pounce on my head!
While I was in Corsicana I called Merilyn. You may remember the Collins Street bakery where they make their famous fruitcake is in Corsicana. They usually have an ad in the Sunday newspapers Parade magazine all over the country as Christmas approaches. I asked her since I was down there I would be glad to try to find the place and buy her some fruitcake. She said, "No." Can you imagine turning down such an excellent offer?!
Hope you have a good day today. God bless you!