Pieces

Yesterday was a busy day for me. I didn't do very much really (compared to what most people do) but for someone like me who doesn't usually have a lot of things to do, it was a busy day. The morning was dedicated to this blog. After posting it I took all the laundry back to church. Hung up the gowns and stashed the towels in the cabinet. Then on to the baptistery. I forced the remaining water down the drain and then used a towel to wipe it out. Replacing the cover was beyond my ability (too heavy) so I went looking for someone with muscle. I ran into the exterminator on my way and thought about asking him to help me but decided against it, so I led him safely through our convoluted church to the front desk. None of the guys were around to help me so I walked back into the sanctuary and tried to figure out a way to replace the cover by myself. Nothing doing. I was able to get the small piece in place with great effort but I couldn't even budge either of the two big pieces so I wasn't sure what to do. I finally said, "Lord, if You want this cover back on the baptistery, You're going to have to find me some help." Then I heard construction-type noises and followed the sound down the hall, through two doors, and into the oldest part of the church and sure enough there was Gordy. I was able to snag him to help me with the cover pieces. I guess I didn't actually help all that much. He insisted on carrying them all by himself. All I had to do was guide the pieces into place. It took me a little over an hour to get everything done, which was pretty good timing, I thought. It was the first time I'd had that responsibility and with the help of the Lord and Gordy, I got it done. I felt good.

Then I had a Lay Pastors meeting last night. We did a Bible study on the 23rd Psalm, looking at aspects of pastoral care. In this Psalm the writer talks about the Shepherd (Jesus) and what He does for us. As modern day shepherds or lay pastors, we are extensions of His care. What the Lord does for all of us, we allow Him to do through us. With our "flocks," we are literally His hands and feet and mouth. According to this Psalm, we provide personal care, abundant provisions, a sense of renewal, guidance, assurance, fellowship, blessings and more. If we make ourselves available, the Lord will use us in many ways. And that's true for every believer, not just lay pastors. Each and every one of us is God's worker and it pleases Him when we are willing to be used in any way He chooses. We are all "commissioned" to serve the Lord.

A few days ago I talked about how important our families are and how spiritual things are more valuable than computers or any other material possession. I found a quote yesterday from Charles F. Stanley I thought I'd share. He wrote: "...the best things in life cannot be purchased ... love, family, friendship, quietness, peace, tranquility, and contentment. The good things in life are not for sale. They have already been bought with a price far too great for us to pay, but not too great for God's Son. His death on the cross not only paid for our sins; it also purchased for us the right to enjoy every moment God gives." I just thought that kind of went along the lines of what I had been talking about. Family is so important as are so many things that we can't put our hands on. If we can reach out and touch something (other than another person) it should be of lesser importance to us. The Old Gulch fire could have destroyed my home and everything in it. Luckily it didn't. But I had to be willing to let it all go if that's what it came down to. Nothing ... not homes, not cars, not furnishings, not toys ... nothing material is of any real importance. And if the Lord blesses us with these things we should do what my daily verse said this morning: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all. ..." (Phil. 4:4-5) That gentleness comes when we fully understand that everything we own is a temporary blessing from God to be enjoyed but not clung to. We must always be willing to give up any or all of it. That's why spiritual possessions are to be sought after. They are eternal blessings that will transcend this life. So enjoy your material possessions and rejoice when God blesses you with them, but always seek after spiritual things and you'll have many reasons to "rejoice in the Lord always!!"

I just took a break and made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I haven't had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in years! But for some strange reason I started craving one. I'm not much of a milk drinker. I can't remember the last drink of milk I had but it was probably the last time I had a pb&j sandwich because they go so well together. I can tolerate milk only if it's ice cold so when I'm having a pb&j sandwich I always pour a small glass of milk over ice to make sure it's really cold! What in the world made me want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich???

I can see my hummingbird feeder from my computer desk and I see they've got it half empty again. But this time around it seems to be taking them a little longer to drink up the nectar which is good because I'm low on it. I'll pick up another box when we go do our shopping on Friday.

I'm running late with my blog today. Sorry. I didn't started as early as I should have and usually do. There was a live "Breaking News" report on TV about a bridge collapse and I sat and watched them extricate the truck driver from his vehicle. With my background, I'm always interested in rescues and disasters and calamities. Makes me long for the good old days.

Sorry today is kind of boring. I had something else in mind to write about but for some reason I never quite got around to it. Maybe tomorrow. I guess I will close off for today. I've got a kitchen floor that needs mopping and I promised it I would mop it today so I think I'll post this blog and get busy. Please be sure to leave me a comment if you want to do so. I love getting them. Let me know what you like and dislike about my blog. One of these days maybe I'll get some pictures up for you to see. I'll have to have my daughter-in-law come over and show me again how to do that. But even she's not sure she'll be able to figure out how to get them into my blog. She showed me how to do it into my email program and instant messenger but I've forgotten how we did it. Next time I'll write the steps down because when it's something I don't do all the time it's hard for me to remember how to do it. Anyway, hopefully someday soon I'll have pictures on my blog. I'll try to do better with tomorrow's blog; make it more interesting or try anyway. Thanks for reading!