As I prayed before writing, I asked God to say what He wanted to say. Then I said, “Even if I’m to say nothing.” That surprised me.

I normally write Saturday’s and Sunday’s post on Monday. This Monday – I got nothing. I didn’t understand until later in the day.

* * * * * * *

The weekend was packed. My niece got married, I had a class reunion, and our annual church hayrack ride. I couldn’t figure out how to be three places at once!

The wedding was in Virginia and it was Derek & Rachel’s first anniversary. (We made a deal to cover for each other on our anniversary weekends.) They went to the wedding, as did our daughter, Laura.

It poured all day. There were flash flood warnings until Sunday night. Our reunion was set at a building near the river. That concerned me. I prayed there would not be a flash flood while we were there.

God came through! As we drove to the river, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. During the evening Rachel sent pictures of the wedding.

Ezra 7:5, “…Because God’s hand was on Ezra, the king gave him everything he asked for.” The Message

September 21, 2019: Malachi 3, 4; Ezra 7, 8.

* * * * * * *

Sunday was just as busy. Pastor Gary and Shannon came over to beef up the band. David switched from vocals to the drums.

Of course, it wasn’t easy. There were glitches with the sound set up. We practiced until the very last minute. But God blessed the worship time.

We tore down, put everything in storage, ran home for the Nursing Home Service music, and met our friends at a restaurant. They hosted the hayrack ride and told us about it. I told them about my class reunion and the wedding.

Then we four headed for the Nursing Home. Imagine our surprise when we arrived, and the meeting room was empty! The Nursing Home booked 2 events at the same time!

Undaunted, I started playing hymns on the Steinway – loudly. That woke up the residents that didn’t go on the outing. After 10 minutes we had 6 residents come to the meeting room.

One resident came to the piano and asked, “Are you going to play this loud the whole time?”

“No,” I replied, “I was trying to wake everyone up from their naps!”

I played softly for the rest of the time.

Proverbs 22:1, “A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich; a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.” The Message

After that service, I went home, put pajamas on, and climbed into bed. I was worn out!

Ezra 9:15, “…No one can last long like this.” The Message

September 22, 2019: Ezra 9, 10; Nehemiah 1, 2.

 

* * * * * * *

Monday was a hectic day. David’s boss was gone and the left him as the lone salesman. My daughter-in-law wanted me to go to one place and my sister-in-law to another. I wanted to talk to David before answering.

He was over an hour late for lunch. We decided against my going to either. (Ragweed bloomed.) He hadn’t been home for 10 minutes when my sister called.

I didn’t recognize her voice. She has bronchitis and fluid in her lungs. But she wanted to tell me about the wedding. We talked for an hour and then I prayed for her and told her to go to bed!

Ten minutes later, my sister-in-law knocked on the door – with cheesecake! She went to listen to cousin Todd preach on Sunday. The weekend before she took her son back to college. We had a lot to catch up on. I told her about the wedding and my class reunion.

An hour later, she had to go. I finally understood why I couldn’t write a post. If I had, I would have rushed through those two conversations. Since I didn’t, my sisters were able to share everything in their hearts. And I enjoyed every detail!

The devil tells me I must do everything on my list. Jesus always took time for people. I’m glad I didn’t fall for the devil’s scheme.

Nehemiah 6:2, “…I knew they were scheming to hurt me.” The Message

I’m getting better at listening to God. When He says, “no,” there is always a good reason.

September 23, 2019: Nehemiah 3-6.

“2019 Relevant Bible Reading Guide”

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