A very good weekend and Thanksgiving was had. :) How about y'all?
I thought Jarret was coming up on Wednesday, but unbeknownst to me, his boss offered him Tuesday off as well, so he came up a day early and was waiting for me when I got home from work that afternoon. That was the awesomest, best suprise of my life! We got in a lot of visiting, Bible studying, singing, time with the family, movie-watching, cooking and eating, game-playing, laughing and kidding around. I haven't laughed so much in quite some time. Billy was here for a couple days as well, so Shelley and I were two happy gals! It was a wonderful weekend. :)
I'm so tired of being all by my lonesome...next Wednesday and Jarret's arrival can't come soon enough for me!! *sigh* That month between visits seems to just draaaag by sometimes. If it weren't for working every day till Wednesday and knowing that will help the time to pass faster, I think I'd be going crazy.:-)
But!! He's so worth the distance and the spread-out visits. I couldn't ask for better, couldn't even dream of better. :)
We are always waiting for something in life. I hope you have fun during his visit!! :) We are going to my grandparent's house in the southern part of the state. :)
Joshua 9 tells the story of the Gibeonites and their pact with Israel. The children of Israel had just entered the land of Canaan and begun the fight to destroy the peoples of the land. They had recently had a tremendous victory at Jericho, and after that destroyed Ai, both victories granted them by God. At the end of chp. 8 we're told of an altar being built on Mt. Ebal and the Law recorded and read to the people.
Chapter 9 tells of how the Gibeonites came up with a plan to deceive Israel into thinking they were from a far-away land, and made a peace treaty with them. Verses 14 & 15 say that "The men took of their food and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live; and the princes of the congrgation sware unto them."
In the next verses then we're told that Israel discovers that the Gibeonites are actually their neighbors, who they had been commanded to kill. The princes decided that, since they had made a promise, that they would let the Gibeonites live, but as servants to them.
The point I wanted to make was that, after Israel's two God-given victories and the reading of the Law just prior, the leaders still made this important decision without even asking the guidance of God! And because of that, they ended up making a bad decision and hindered themselves from carrying out God's commands to them.
How about ourselves? How often do we, God's own people, fail to consult Him when we have decision-making to do? When we're faced with concerns or trying to pick a direction to go, do we even think to talk to Him about it? Do we ask Him for wisdom and help? God wants to hear from us.
Proverbs 3:5-7 says "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not on thy own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil."
This says we're not supposed to lean on our own understanding, that we're supposed to acknowledge Him and He'll direct our paths.
James 1:5 tells us that "if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally, and reproaches not, and it will be given him."
God tells us that He will give us wisdom if we ask for it. Why do we so often neglect to do that?
"Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He will say, Here I am...And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought." ~Isa 58:9, 11
If we do turn to God and look to Him for strength, guidance and help, He says in Isaiah 41:10 & 13 "Fear thou not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, i will help thee."
How can we possibly neglect or merely just forget our Source of wisdom and guidance?? Let's not!
Are you also impressed only nearly every chapter in the Old Testament has a sermon within? About that driving...its the divided highways that give me fits. I go to make a left turn onto one and, well, fortunately every lane was full so I caught myself!
~Two loaves of pumpkin-raisin bread in the oven and looking good.
~Wheat bread swiftly rising on the stove and also looking good.
~Nice warm kitchen.
Awesome afternoon!! I do so enjoy baking! :) Next on my list, when I have time, is cinnamon rolls. Been way too long since I made those.
What's your favorite thing to bake?
By the way, I heard christmas music on the radio earlier this week. That is just waaay too early! One of the grocery stores nearby has their christmas tree stands up already. Is it my imagination, or do christmas preparations seem to start earlier every year???
Sherri
We made chocolate chip cookies today. It was a great day to bake! :)
They do seem to, but I think part of it is that we get older and notice it more. I remember working at a department store in high school, and they got the Christmas trees out the Tuesday after Labor Day. THAT was crazy.
We were at Islands of Adventure in Orlando last year for the week of Halloween. We went to the park the day after Halloween and the FrightFest stuff had all vanished overnight and been replaced with at least the beginnings of Christmas stuff!
I'm contemplating memorizing all our presidents, in order. If one can memorize the books of the Bible, old and new, then it shouldn't be that hard to memorize our presidents! Funny how history has become so much more interesting since I graduated high school. (now I just wish I had more time to spend on it! :)
Are there subjects that interest y'all more now that you're done with school, that you wish you'd liked better at the time?
Sherri
"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." ~George Santayana
I have a song that my 4th graders just did in their concert last week, called Rap of the Presidents, and it goes through all of the presidents in order.
I really enjoyed most of my history courses. I hated Math. But, I realize now, how much I miss the challenge it posed for my brain. I wish I had appreciated it more back then.
I never took any home ec classes in high school. I was a science and math "nerd". It would have been so fun to cook and eat at school and create clothing. Art would have been fun, too. I thought that was for people who had artist talents but it might have been fun to learn some things.
