Well, it has been a minute since writing a blog post. There are always several subject matters rolling about in my brain but many mornings the quiet hides and then the day's activities and chores bid me come to take care of those responsibilities. That desire deep in my soul to write is on vacation or something. I am sure it will return. Roy has gone to workout and The Boys have settled into naps and soon The Trio will do the same thing.
We bid ado to Exodus and the foray into Numbers yesterday. I looked at the schedule for upcoming quarters and after The Psalms we are in Deuteronomy and Numbers. The wrap up just took a few minutes and then we began I Peter. Not so much the first chapter but a reminder of who Peter was and how he came about writing these two letters. We took a moment to look beyond just the facts of Peter's life but we looked at his emotional and spiritual life, his friendship with Jesus and how this apostle moved out of the limelight and into the work he was called to do.
Our area got a less turbulent version of the storms moving across the country. We had some hard rain and just a tad bit of wind. Those two factors contributed to the power going out around 5:45 am. It came back on before 2:00 pm. The trees around here have not recovered strength from Helene in September. We've had wildfires, none to close to us, but close to where friends live. So truly, we have seen to quote James Taylor, "we've seen fire and we've seen rain."
Last week both Roy and I had the stomach bug rolling around these parts. Roy had a worse case than me but we are thankful that symptoms weren't around for several weeks as can be the case with these bugs. We were fatigued along with the usual stuff and finally by Friday we felt as if we had come out of the fog. Roy rarely gets sick, so I was constantly asking him how he felt. You know, if it was more than just a bug, but alas that is just what it was, a bug.
Think Dogwood Winter arrives tonight with the temps falling due to a cold front. Last week in the 80's and this week, very cool maybe even cold.
Tomorrow, is the funeral for one of our class members who has been in bad health for a long time.
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Friday morning with rain chances later today. Love that everything is looking so green. The apple trees and lilacs have blooms. Mike mowed this week so outside in the front looks so springy. Guess the tulips are done having all the petals blown off on Monday. The side flowerbed is now a weed bed filled with mug wort and clover. We need to get those pulled but Roy was able to get the compost down around the blackberry bushes.
Patty's funeral was Tuesday afternoon. In the little brochure they pass out to you upon entering the church had pic in it from her life. I've never seen that done before and I loved that idea. I met Patty ten years ago and she was rather sick even back then but to see her pictures from childhood and with her husband at those young ages always makes me think, I wish I knew her back then.
Whenever we were studying the book of Mark I learned that Mark gives a majority of attention to how much Jesus was teaching, pouring into them and making ready His disciples. Moreso than the other Gospels. I got to thinking about something we can hear. It sounds good but it might be a rather simplistic and rather wrong. Over the years I've heard preachers and pastors say something to the effect of, we don't need a program, we have The Great Commission. That's true but it seems to me that those three years with Jesus in today's meaning and interpretation, well that was a program for training and teaching the disciples. A divine program to walk with the disciples, and change their thinking from fishing or tax collecting or whatever occupation to being kingdom minded. In other words it could be called seminary, a program. I read an article a couple of weeks ago on the push for pastors of small churches both in cities and rural areas to get their doctorate. The author said he thinks it is all about keeping the seminaries filled and in a positive cash flow.
I never quite finished the complete switch of summer to winter clothes last year. The dreaded sickness that took me out for six weeks and then quite some time for recovery plus returning to normal energy levels slowed me down. Although a plus, this season of between seasons I truly went through clothes and the sentimental clothes are not going back in storage bags, most have gone on to drop offs and the like. I've started packing away true winter weight clothing, not that it won't turn cold again because it will, but the texture and fabric patterns are just too much for March and April. Of course I am not bringing out linen yet, but a few layering pieces might work.
We had quite the lightning storm last night with a good amount of rain. Higher in the mountains they got snow.
Well, back to studying I Peter. It's all about the suffering while rejoicing...hard to teach for sure.
