Weather's Great, You?

We're having very spring-like weather up here in the foothills. Calaveras County is a beautiful place to live and play. We have Angels Camp, Murphys, and Big Trees State Park up Hwy 4. San Andreas and Valley Springs. Moke Hill. Several rivers and lakes for water sports of all kinds. I am not a golfer but I'm told the courses up here are pretty good. My sisters play and seem to enjoy themselves. I'm not much into sports at all. Although I do have plans to take up walking again (if that qualifies as a sport). I doubt I will ever hit 6 miles a day again but I can shoot for a couple of miles. Any would be beneficial! I love to walk and pray. The world is in such need of prayer and none of us do enough of it.

I have no plans for the day other than to make a run out to the Post Office since it's Friday. I try not to run errands except on Mon., Wed., and Friday. It's silly to go out every day. It just uses up gasoline and that's a terrible expense for us at this time. If it were a little closer I'd be tempted to try walking to the Post Office. No, I won't be up to walking that far for quite some time. It's about 2 miles from here which would make a 4 mile walk, round trip, and I think I should shoot for less challenging distances when I first start out ... like around the block maybe, until my legs get accustomed to the strain. But when I walk it's just a private time for me and I try to spend it with the Lord. That's an added benefit of walking: Abiding.

Abiding is probably, by far, the most difficult part of my Christian walk. I so long and so often want to take control of my own life. Even though I know I'd just mess things up I nevertheless want to grab hold of it and not let my heavenly Father lead me with His Spirit. It's not so much that I would do things differently; just that I would feel better being in control. What is it that makes me this way? What's the big deal about being in control anyway? It's not like God has failed me at any point up to now. I'm a great deal like the Israelites as they wandered for 40 years. You know, God has not failed me yet for these 61 years but there's always tomorrow. No matter that He has never failed me nor left me during all this time. I still have to trust Him for tomorrow. Today. This hour. This minute. This breath. I know that if I take hold of His out-stretched hand he will provide for me. He will take care of me. I know that He's trustworthy, or I should know by now. I am persuaded that neither death with its fears, nor life with it cares, nor things present with their pressing claims, nor things to come with their dark shadows, nor height of joy, nor depth of sorrow, nor any other element of creation, shall be able, for one single moment, to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus my Lord, and in which He is teaching me to abide. To abide unceasingly in Christ is the portion of every believer.

The thought of living moment by moment is of such central importance to the Christian walk ... looking at the abiding in Christ from my side ... that I need to convince myself it's worth the time and effort it takes. Each time my attention is free to occupy itself with thoughts of Jesus ... whether it be with extended time to think and pray, or only a few fleeting seconds ... I must first say to myself: Now, at this very moment, I do abide in Christ. I am to take this stand: "I am in Christ;" This is the place God has given me. I accept it here. I rest; I do now, in this very moment, abide in Jesus. This is the way to learn the secret of simply abiding in Him. In every possible circumstance, every moment of the day, simply abide in Him. In difficulty and struggle I seek to rest in Him always. I consciously release my life unto Him as I abide. "I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him" (Phil. 3:8-9 RV).

So far today I have succeeded in getting my bed made. That's a good start, huh? Now I just need to press on with what needs to be done. I have a friend coming over tomorrow to see if maybe she can get a DVD to play in my player. She and her husband (both photogs) took a vacation to the Grand Canyon and around and she put their photos on a DVD. Everyone else has gotten their copy to play. But none of mine will play and we've tried several of them. We don't know if the problem is on the DVD, on the player, or with me. But I need to get some housework done today so I won't be too terribly embarrassed tomorrow when she comes. My house is a mess and I know it. It's just that housecleaning is not at the top of my list of things to do any more. I mean, it should be but it isn't. Ever been there? I seem to be stuck there. But I have to force myself to get up and get some things done and I will (I hope). Oh, I am just awful!!

I've about decided that my sciatic nerve is never going to heal. And I don't even know what I did to injure it. I just woke up one morning a week or so ago with a painful bum. It hurts to sit and it hurts to stand. It's not excruciating, just bothersome and I'm really quite tired of it hanging on the way it has. The only thing I know to do for it is rest. Any suggestions???

My beautiful Oriental Lily that my step-daughter brought me for Easter got blown over by the wind yesterday and suffered major damage. The one blossom that had opened up got smoosched and lost a couple petals and the one that was trying to open and would have been the next flower to emerge was broken off entirely. I have the worst luck with flowers and plants. I kill just about everything given to me (I no longer buy them for myself because I know my history) in one way or another. So now there are only 11 buds almost ready to blossom out. I've never seen a lily with so many buds (they look more like they should be called pods but I think bud is still the correct term for them). But I am heart broken that my plant suffered loss.

Guess I should go and get the rest of my chores done. Then I'll go to the P.O. and come back and do more to my house than just the basic chores. I have morning chores, and nightly chores. I should say "afternoon and nightly chores" since I never seem to get to my morning chores while it's still morning. Oh well, I just keep plugging along.

Abide in Christ.