February 25, 2019: Psalms 65-68, 138, 139.

 

David had a dentist appointment at eleven today and Dick is home sick with pneumonia. That left them short-handed at the lumberyard. David grabbed lunch uptown and didn’t come home. It was a long, quiet day!

Psalms 65:1, “Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God, and also obedience. You hear the prayer in it all.”

The Message

Battlefield of the Mind

 

My chapter in “Battlefield of the Mind” today was about wandering, wondering minds. I can relate to that! I get side-tracked. All. The. Time.

I determined to follow my task list and stick to the item until done. I looked for a St. Patrick’s Day flag online. (I painted my old one 5 years ago and it cracked.) I gave up looking after 52 pages. (I think I need to set a timer when shopping!)

At 3:00 pm, I was only halfway through my list. I persevered and got two-thirds of it done. Mom was right. The work was still there in the morning!

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February 23, 2019: 2 Samuel 19-21.

 

Three bloggers I follow gave a review of the book “Girl’s Club.” Two loved the book and one was less than enthusiastic. I liked the last review best!

Friendship comes in many forms. Some friends are only in our lives for a season – like school chums.

* * * * * * *

After Bible study last night, Sarah told me she defended me to a mutual acquaintance. She told them, “I can’t be your friend if you treat my friend this way.” 

She will never know how deeply that touched me!

 

I thought of Sarah as my friends’ daughter. She didn’t see me as her mom’s friend. I am her friend!

Friendship crosses generational lines. I get advice from Aunt Nellie and from my daughters-in-law. I am not in the same season of life as any of them!

My closest friends travel – sometimes for weeks at a time. (I. Go. To. Church. Period.) But when we talk it’s like no time has passed.

And my best friend? My sister-in-law, Melinda! I’m close to my sisters but they live in different towns. When I need help – she comes running and I do the same. (She’s afraid I’ll send her brother back!)

* * * * * * * *

After his war with Absalom, David lost most of his friends. All the men of Israel followed Sheba, the son of Bicri.

2 Samuel 20:2, “So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba the son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.” The Message

David won the war but lost his son and most of the people. Only his family – his tribe – stuck with him. He didn’t have time to grieve because of the war with Sheba. Then the Philistines came to fight.

2 Samuel 21:15, “War broke out again between the Philistines and Israel. David and his men went down to fight. David became exhausted.” The Message

David was heartsick and tired. Why did God allow more wars?

For the next generation!

 

David killed the giant, Goliath. There were 4 other descendants of Rapha. (That’s why he picked up 5 stones for his slingshot.)

The younger generation killed the other four:

1. Abishai son of Zeruiah killed Ishi-Benob, a warrior descended from Rapha, 21:16, 17.
2. Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, another warrior descended from Rapha, 21:18.
3. Elhanan son of Jaar, the weaver of Bethlehem, killed Goliath the Gittite whose spear was as big as a flagpole, 21:19.
4. Jonathan, son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed a giant with twenty-four fingers and toes, 21:20, 21.

Two of these men were David’s nephews: Abishai and Jonathan. One was the son of a weaver! Elhanan killed Goliath’s brother.

1 Chronicles 20:5, “In another war with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite whose spear was like a ship’s boom.” The Message

When we keep in touch with the older generation we show our children that they matter. They have wisdom and experience that only comes from living a long life.

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Making my task list, I thought I wouldn’t get it all done before church. God instructed, “Stop cleaning at noon.”

Psalms 11:4, “But God hasn’t moved to the mountains; His holy address hasn’t changed. He’s in charge, as always, His eyes taking everything in, His eyelids unblinking.” The Message

I wanted to tuck the rug under the china cabinet. I would have to unload it first. I didn’t clean the house yesterday or my zone. (I deep-clean one room a week.)

I started with the china cabinet. I moved the appliances to the guest room on cookie sheets. I stacked the china on the chairs moved to the living room. I corralled cups and glasses in baskets. I moved the table and turned the rug.

I was in the “moving mood!”

Earlier, while working in the office together, David commented there wasn’t enough room. I moved the filing cabinet over to the door frame. Shifting the desk over to it gave him three more inches of leg room.

My zone for this week was the girl’s bathroom. The lid of the white, Rubbermaid hamper was filthy. I soaked it in the tub with dishwasher soap and hot water. After a few hours, I scrubbed it with a battery operated toothbrush. It looks new! (I did the garbage pail next.)

I took a break to change the sheets and get out green pillowcases. I wrapped the accent pillow in St. Patrick’s Day material. That refreshed my spirit.

Back in the bathroom, the tub cleaned easily. I scrubbed the toilet – using the same toothbrush around the hinges. (No, it was not David’s!) Then I swept and mopped the floor.

At noon, David and I discussed the rug. If I put it under the china cabinet the table would be off-center. We decided to slip it under the stove. David dutifully lifted the stove and it wouldn’t fit! The rug fits exactly between the stove and china cabinet. I need to find a way to keep it from sliding and bunching up. We added the leaf to the table and ate lunch.

David went back to work and I turned on Christian music. I loaded the china cabinet and called it my workout! I put everything back in the bathroom. Then I dusted, swept, and vacuumed the rest of the house. I rewarded myself with a long soak in the tub.

Psalms 11:7, “God’s business is putting things right; He loves getting the lines straight, setting us straight. Once we’re standing tall, we can look Him straight in the eye.” The Message

I practiced while my hair air-dried. The bass player is sick and I’ll need to cover for him. I usually play 2 keyboards on the first song – one on strings and the other piano. But I also needed to play bass.

At church, I split the top keyboard between bass and strings. That meant both hands were jumping up and down between keyboards. The intro was strings and piano. The verse and chorus were strings and bass. The bridge was strings and piano. My left hand went back and forth between the strings and the bass.

The practice wasn’t pretty.

Before the service, I prayed, “God, You and I both know I can’t do this alone. I really need your help!”

Psalms 31:24, “Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon.” The Message

He answered! My hands jumped up and down and landed on the right notes!

Psalms 13:6, “I’m singing at the top of my lungs, I’m so full of answered prayers.” The Message

After worship, I told the other instrumentalists I was relieved it was over. God came through! I fell asleep on the drive home from church.

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February 19, 2019: 2 Samuel 14, 15; Psalms 9.

 

They say “less is more.” Then why do we keep buying more? The momentary happiness of having something new fades quickly.

We went shopping last Saturday. I determined to buy only what I “needed.” We went to Shopko because they are going out of business. Their 20%-40% off was still higher than Wal-Mart!

I bought:

1. A few Christmas items – half off of clearance.
2. Smaller scrunchies to sleep in – also on clearance.
3. Lotion – that was cheaper than Wal-Mart.

If these were things I needed, why did they stay on the day bed for three days?

I bought 3 new bath towels. My daughter, Laura, gave me the matching hand towels for Christmas. We bought the matching washcloths later.

Some of the towels in my cupboard are over 20 years old. As they frayed I zigzagged the edges. Later, I hemmed them. Then I ran a zigzag stitch across them when the ends started to separate.

I cleaned out the cupboard in my bathroom. I put in the 3 new towels and took half of the hand towels downstairs. (Laura bought me 14!) I put the most recently purchased towels in a box for consignment. (They weren’t 100% cotton.)

I was joyful for the rest of the day. I have what I need and was able to share.

Psalms 9:1-2, “I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart, I’m writing the book on your wonders. (2) I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy; I’m singing your song, High God.” The Message

* * * * * * *

David saw the teaser line from yesterday’s post on Facebook – “…I gave up sex for Lent.” He didn’t have time to read it. He told me he saw it and was curious.

Then he called Dish. They offered yet another package. He wisely brought the phone to me and made her explain it all over again.

I told her I would think about it. We will make this decision together.

Psalms 9:4, “You took over and set everything right; when I needed you, you were there, taking charge.” The Message

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