9/3/2019
Well, we had a bible class Sunday, here in our home. We enjoyed it. We want to do this on an every Sunday afternoon at 4PM schedule. How about if you check your schedule and see if you’d like to make it to some or all of these classes? It started as an introduction to what “rightly dividing the word of truth” will lead you to in personal study. That will be the theme for about a year. Probably. Maybe longer—the “basics” are hard to finish, it’s just all so basic! Hope you can make it and if not, will you please pray for those who do make it, and for me. (If interested, text me at 210-378-5748 and I will give you our address and some special driving instructions to get here—everyone knows how really great my maps are!)
Speaking of praying for the class, many years ago I was prompted by a friend to read a biography of Francis Schaeffer, a post WW2 missionary to Europe. I obtained and read the book, L’Abri written by his wife, Edith. The story is about how they survived when missionary funding was cut off and they found themselves with only a crude place to live and little else. Francis continued to invite people to walk and to have bible and philosophical discussions, usually winding up with people (the roaming nomadic peoples with hardly any roots left after the devastation of the war) needing a place to stay the night, or 2, or 3, or weeks on end. So they named the place “L’Abri”—french for The Shelter. (There are several in Europe now.) Edith wrote that she and Francis decided on one theme prayer for L’Abri: that the Lord would bring those He wanted to be there, and that He would keep the rest away. Barb and I adopted that prayer around 1983 and have used it ever since for any and all bible classes I’ve ever started anywhere. Please pray with us for this new bible class each Sunday.
It’s sometimes hard to relate in a few words how truly wonderful it is to see someone get excited because they are able to understand a simple truth in the bible which has been hidden by their own religious exposure or upbringing. There is a different “light” or gleam in their eye when something hits the “I got it!” spot in their mind. It is overjoying to those of us who’ve been privileged to have understood it earlier. Precious, precious memories.
SIMH this morning about 4:30 (and it’s kept me awake) was “He Keeps Me Singing”—you know, “There’s within my heart a melody, Jesus whispers sweet and low….” (about 6 verses.) The verse which awakened me was the 2nd verse: “All my life was wrecked by sin and strife, Discord filled my heart with pain, Jesus swept across the broken strings, Stirred the slumbering chords again.” Indeed, I was awake. And He Keeps Me Singing! Great big thanks to Jake Hess, author, who was a singer of considerable note.
We did a lot of work on the yard this holiday weekend, especially on Saturday and on Monday. Barb said she was going to work 4 hours on the back yard yesterday while I was doing some studying. I went out after four hours and we wound up working together another two and a half hours! This yard is big! But, hopefully, down the road 6-8 months, when Spring rolls around perhaps, it will pay off. The beauty of the foliage will be wonderful with another year’s growth, I believe. Then will be scale down time and we’ll move to a smaller place. That is another prayer-worthy item.
I have another birthday staring me in the face. Thursday morning about 8:45am I will become age 77, Lord willing. Some days, I can’t hardly believe it, some days I can. Like now, after the lawn and yard work of the weekend. It might take a little more than one day to get rested up from it. But, fatigue isn’t a bad thing if one can take the right supplements, eat good food, and sleep will. Most times I do that. And the meal at the end of the day, yesterday?! Ummm, good! Now, I know having lived in Texas for many years has great advantages over the rest of you poor folks, but we had Shrimp Paesano last night! Maybe some of you have been to San Antonio and had the privilege of eating at “Paesano’s” restaurant. If not, I’m sorry. It is such good food! Barb found their recipe for Shrimp Paesano several years ago and has perfected the way to do this at home. Pretty sure I can’t do it justice by trying to describe it better than this: while we were eating, she asked me what I wanted for my birthday dinner on Thursday. After thinking for a few minutes, I answered, “I think this is it!” That’s how good it is.
Thanks for reading, the Elder
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