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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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Family Excursion

Posted by eph21920 on September 15, 2017 in Family, Fun

Going to the zoo has always been one of the family favorite things to do. My parents used to have a membership to the local zoo and they visited quite frequently, but as time went by it got too difficult for them to walk the distance and the hills. Years have passed since they have been able to go. Today, both my brothers were here, my son had the day off work, and the weather was gorgeous. So, we took advantage of the situation, packed up water, snacks, cameras, and the wheelchair, and headed to the zoo. There were several enclosures that my parents had seen before and several that were new. My mother rode in the wheelchair and we all took turns pushing up and down the hills. We ate pizza and burgers and ice cream and fried oreos. My parents told stories of their several previous trips including when my mom took my son when he was a baby and he had fallen asleep in the stroller. He woke up just about face to face with an orangutan and was terrified. It’s kind of surprising that he still likes the zoo. Many years ago, my dad won a photography contest at the local zoo with a picture of chimpanzees playing in a tub. He took many pictures today and printed them out when we got home for everyone to enjoy. It was such a great day for everyone.

I Found God today enjoying a family favorite excursion.

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Origin of Man

Posted by eph21920 on September 14, 2017 in Answer, Begin, Creation, Life

My brother who lives in another state is here to visit for a couple of days. My other brother is here also. They are both computer programmers/engineers. When they get together with my dad the previous physics teacher, there are always various in-depth conversations. Most of the time I listen for a while, then move on to doing something else as I have no idea what they are talking about. But at dinner, one brother started talking about the reasons we don’t or can’t send people to Mars. This reminded me of a show I watched a couple of weeks ago explaining the idea that humans are actually martians. The premise is that Mars was once inhabited and that some catastrophe happened that made the planet unlivable. So the “people” there came to the Earth and started over. I actually love sci-fi, and we had a lively discussion about this theory and the origin of man. It was thought-provoking and intriguing to think of possibilities and how God fits into all of creation.

I Found God today pondering the origin of man.

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