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Not Just Lip Service

Posted by eph21920 on September 25, 2017 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Life

I met with a group of people from my church tonight. We do a bible study of sorts, reading over scripture for the upcoming week and discussing it. Then when I hear the Gospel at church and listen to the homily, it is more meaningful. Tonight we talked about the Parable of the Two Sons – Matthew 21:28-32. We got stuck on the fact that when the father asked the first son to go work in his vineyard, the son said he would – but he did not. We just kept coming up with so many examples in our own lives of promising to do things and then not doing them. It made me want to try to be more intentional of what I do and why – not just going through the motions and paying lip service.

I Found God today in a reminder to think about what I am doing – to be more intentional.

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What is Fair

Posted by eph21920 on September 24, 2017 in Answer, Faith, Grateful, Life, Love, Mercy

In our society, we seem to have the need to put a value on everything and everyone. At the same time we want to make sure that everyone is treated fair and equal. Those two notions can – and do – clash. I think it depends on your view of what is “fair” and “equal”. Today’s scripture readings at church included the story of the owner of a vineyard who paid each worker the same amount of money – regardless if they worked for 1 hour or for all day. This didn’t seem fair to the workers who were there all day long. Of course, the story has a deeper meaning that was explained by the priest. God is like the vineyard owner and He will keep His promise of eternal life in Heaven to those who turn to him – whether that be early in life, or later. That may not seem fair to people who have lived long lives doing their best to follow God, when others live a life doing whatever they please and turn to God much later. In reality, doing whatever we want in life doesn’t necessarily mean being peaceful, happy, content, or joyful. One of the other readings pointed out that God’s ways are not our ways. His love and mercy extends far beyond what we are even capable of understanding. That is what I am most grateful for.

I Found God today holding fast to His promise of love and mercy.

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Perfect Timing

Posted by eph21920 on September 23, 2017 in Answer, Friends, Fun, Home, Uncategorized

At the beginning of summer, my dad and brother worked on a plan to replace some of the siding on the cabin. It took a while to decide exactly what to do and get all the needed materials. Since then, it has been a waiting game. They needed a few days of dry weather in a row to get the project underway. That finally happened last week and the work was completed yesterday. Just in time, as there was a lot of rain today. Today, my sister came to spend the day with my parents. I took advantage of the situation and a friend, my son, and I went to the local chile festival. When we arrived, we were going to park and take the free shuttle in, but the line was so long we decided to try to find a parking place. As we made our way around the area, we came to the entry gate and turned down a packed street. Just then, a car was pulling out of a spot and we were able to park only about 1 block away. Perfect timing. We had a great time at the festival and the rain held out for us. As we left, a car followed us and asked if we were leaving and if they could have our parking spot. Perfect timing for them too. When we got home, it was pouring, so we hung out for a while. My sister lives an hour away, so she kept an eye on the weather radar. When there was a lull in activity outside, she saw an opening in the storms passing through and made her way back. When she arrived home, she said the rain had just started about 15 minutes from her house, but she was glad she made it before dark.

I Found God today in perfect timing.

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Eventful Drive

Posted by eph21920 on September 22, 2017 in Humor, Life

Our drive home from the cabin today was interestingly eventful. I had only been driving about 5 minutes when a small buck came onto the road and started crossing right in front of me. I had to put the brakes on to avoid hitting him. I guess it scared him too, as he turned around and went back into the trees. A little while later, I noticed something was spilled onto the road in my lane. I slowed way down and as I passed on the other side of the road, we realized it was boxes of long nails. I was thinking the words when my dad said we should go back and get them out of the way. I turned around, found a pull off, and my dad and I got to work. There were probably hundreds of long screws, huge nails, and giant bolts. Another person stopped to help and took them all with him once we got it all cleared. We continued on. Soon, we came to another deer at the edge of the road on the other side of a fence. She had that, “I’m going to jump over this fence.” look about her, so I slowed way down. She did jump the fence, but luckily she waited until we passed. We also saw 2 police offers inspecting a car on the side of the road. And at a stop light in the city, a beggar holding a sign standing in the median ended up in front of a line of cars trying to turn. He was in the street, people honked, then he was back up on the median again. My favorite unexpected occurrence happened just inside the city. I saw a man walking on the other side of the road, but headed in my directions. He had a fist in the air, a sign around his neck, and was pulling what appeared to be a wagon full of children. as he got closer, I could read his sign – “Be Positive”. He was in fact pulling 3 wagons with not children in them, but large stuffed animals – a giraffe, lion, tiger. It made me laugh and I gave him a fist pump right back. It was quite an eventful drive that kept me on my toes and I was happy to make it back home safe and sound.

I Found God today in an eventful, yet safe drive.

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Handiwork

Posted by eph21920 on September 21, 2017 in Faith, Family, Grateful, Home

My mom and I made a trip up to the cabin today where my dad and brother were doing some repair work. After lunch I offered my assistance and did some priming. It reminded me of all the “Workcamps” I had been to with teenagers when I was a youth minister. Those experiences were always challenging and amazing at the same time. Each resident had a unique story of struggle and hardship. Our crews of 5 teens and an adult did the best we could to repair and/or repaint their homes. We prayed our way through many difficult situations and praised God in the successes. I learned a lot about people and God. I also learned a lot about home repair and was happy to practice it at my own house when necessary. At the cabin, my dad and brother replaced some siding. The goal for today was to get everything ready to paint tomorrow. There was some caulking that needed to be done as well, which is one of my favorite things to do. My dad asked if I had done that before and if I could make it nice and neat. We went outside and I demonstrated my handiwork. He was impressed and I felt accomplished.

I Found God today being grateful for what I learned and able to accomplish.

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Grandson Grandma Evening

Posted by eph21920 on September 20, 2017 in Children, Family, Friends, Fun

Tonight was the monthly get together with friends I have known for many years. However, my dad and brother were away, which left my mom and I. I asked my mom if she would like to come to the restaurant with me, but it is difficult for her to hear in such places. So, I asked my son if he would like to come over and have dinner with his grandmother. He accepted. While I was gone, he finished preparing the meal. Then they played games – evidently my mother was the big winner. Then my son gave a little concert by playing the piano and singing. They had a very enjoyable evening together.

I Found God today as my son and mother enjoyed an evening together.

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Seeing the Wedding Pictures

Posted by eph21920 on September 19, 2017 in Answer, Connected, Family, Life, Marriage

My cousin’s daughter got married this summer and we were unable to attend. The other day we received some printed pictures from my aunt and then a thank you note with another picture from the newlyweds. Then I was able to view the whole photo collection on social media. Tonight I sat down with my mom and we looked at a bunch of pictures on my computer, including the wedding pictures. Of course they were beautiful. My cousin is a Justice of the Peace, so he was the presider for the marriage of his daughter. I couldn’t imagine how that must have felt to everyone there. The photos were able to capture much of the emotion of the event. My mom and I both enjoyed being able to see the celebration, my cousins, their children, and my mom’s sister.

I Found God today viewing a family celebration.

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Prayers for Attacker

Posted by eph21920 on September 18, 2017 in Answer, Faith, Hope, Opportunity, Prayer, Problem

Yesterday I heard about some students from Boston College currently studying in France who were attacked. A woman who has a history of mental illness threw acid into their faces. The girls were reportedly doing ok and would recover. Today I heard the rest of the story. As the girls wrote on social media to let everyone know they were ok, they took the opportunity to ask people to pray for their attacker. Here are some of the things they wrote:

“I ask that if you send thoughts and prayers our way, please consider thinking about/praying for our attacker so that she may receive the help she needs and deserves. Mental illness is not a choice and should not be villainized.”

“I pray that the attacker would be healed from her mental illness in the name of Jesus and receive the forgiveness and salvation that can only come from Him.
“This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.” Psalm 91:2”

To me, this shows how everything that happens to us is an opportunity to grow closer to God, or further away. And we can be an example to help other people grow closer to God.  It is our choice.

I Found God today in forgiving young ladies.

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Wisdom of Heaven

Posted by eph21920 on September 17, 2017 in Answer, Children, Connected, Faith, Life, Mercy, Patience, Peace

I went to an event this afternoon that honored those who are supporting families who foster children. In our city, there are teams of people who volunteer to help fostering families by offering babysitting, outings, running errands, or whatever else they may need. One family included a dad who was a pastor. He spoke for a few minutes about how much he appreciated his team of volunteers. He quoted scripture from James 3:13 “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom.” and also James 3:17, “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity.” He said the volunteers are giving of themselves and doing “good works” that may seem difficult or perhaps even meaningless. But they are in fact what God asks of us as we love each other. Because of this, they have acquired the wisdom of heaven and can show peace, gentleness, and mercy. I loved this correlation and encouragement.

I Found God today in a beautiful explanation of the wisdom of Heaven.

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Oktoberfest Birthdays

Posted by eph21920 on September 16, 2017 in Birthday, Family, Food, Fun

This year, my older brother turned 60 years old and my younger brother turned 50. We were blessed to get all the siblings together and had an Oktoberfest themed party today. My brothers knew we were having a party, but they didn’t know everything we were preparing. My brother-in-law made wienerschnitzel, my sister made spaetzle, my other sister made braised red cabbage and lebkuchen, and I made a homemade black forest cake. When we lived in Germany, my parents collected a few beer steins, so we got those out. My younger brother bought my older brother a beer stein as a gift and was right in line with the theme of the day without even knowing it. My older brother made a special batch of home brew that he brought to share. Everything just worked out. It was a great day of fun with the family.

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