Truth for Today #109

Thursday July 18th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

1 John 5:1-5

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

From Vera:

““There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

From Ann:

From Luke 16:

9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. 10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

From Cheryl:

Isaiah 30:21 is an encouragement to me as we continue to make decisions regarding elder care.

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.

Just Peachy Hodgepodge

 

A peachy sunrise on the last Saturday in June in Richland, Washington.

Joyce has some summertime Hodgepodge questions for us this week. Are you playing?

1. What is an adult problem nobody prepared you for? 

Growing old and all the things that come with that like; balance issues, getting up off the floor, bruising, hot flashes. I could have just gone with hot flashes…

2. Without mentioning any tech, what’s your most prized possession? 

One thing? Can I say my home even though there are a lot of techy things in it? Not the actual structure but the idea of my own place where I can relax and be safe and enjoy. Also a place where I can invite people in for relationship and community.

3. It’s National Peach Ice Cream Day (July 17th). Will you be celebrating? 

I could make it happen since Wednesday is Farmer’s Market in town and they might have fresh peaches.

Do you like peaches?

Yes I do but nectarines are my favorite summer fruit.

Given a choice would you prefer peach ice cream, peach pie, peach cobbler, or just hand me a peach?

Fresh Peach Pie. Way back when I enjoyed a scoop of peach ice cream in the center of half a cantaloupe, delicious!

Do you own anything that is peach in color? 

Do our day lilies count?

4. What makes a friendship successful? 

Forgiveness. The ability to say…”I was wrong, will you forgive me?”

5. Let’s give our brains a rest and do a little summertime this or that…

beach or pool? In my older age and avoidance of sun exposure I’m going with pool. You’ll find me under the umbrella or close to the pool in whatever shade is available.

ice cream or snowcone? A snowcone is fun or a slurpy which is kind of like a snowcone.

amusement park or camping? The quiet of camping sounds better to me if someone else has totally set up the camping area. I could come visit for the afternoon and then go home to my own bed.

burger or hot dog? We had the best lamb burger last night. We bought the meat from a local rancher. A good Chicago Dog is always a treat, too.

watermelon or strawberries? I’ll save strawberries for Spring and say a good sweet watermelon.

get up early or sleep in late? Get up early while it is still cool and enjoy a cup of coffee with the birds singing.

sunrise or sunset? In these parts sunset comes late in the summer and we are sometimes in bed before sunset so it’s sunrise for me!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Catching up with some summertime swim lesson photos at the local pool.

Someone was brave enough to jump off the diving board in the deep pool!

Thanks for stopping by Hodgepodgers and others, too. Hope your summer is going swimmingly.

Monday in Walla Walla

Our last full day together in Walla Walla started off with cuddles on the couch with the Grands before breakfast. Our breakfast was served up by Josh and Laura, Joshua’s now famous Huevos Rancheros. Morning swim time before we all headed downtown for our meal out at the Indian restaurant. After our lunch we all bought treats at Bright’s, fudge, caramel apples, ice cream cones, lollipops and other delights. Back to our airbnb for a nap before we had more swim time and a delicious burger meal created and served up by Katie and Andrew. Some Frisbee time was thrown in there somewhere, too, and jigsaw puzzle time here and there. There was one more surprise before bedtime.

This photo was of our movie night on Sunday evening, not Monday but this is where all the morning cuddling happened, too.

Earlier in the weekend Katie and I got the frame of the puzzle done and others contributed here and there to completing it.

Walking to Main Street for our Indian Restaurant meal.

Someone almost fell asleep waiting for his lunch. Swimming really takes it out of you. After lunch we shopped for some souvenirs from Walla Walla before having our treats at Bright’s.

Time to leave Main street behind and head back to the house.

There was another kind of ‘pool time’, too.

Finishing the jigsaw puzzle.

The ‘littles’ weren’t the only ones who had a nap.

Before it was time for bed we had another surprise. Many months before our gathering we gave Josh and Laura an old movie reel of our church wedding shower from November of 1974. They were able to send it out to digitize it and we all watched it together by casting it on the TV. My brother-in-law recorded the movie. It was silent and poor in quality but rich in memories. Both my maternal and paternal grandmother were in it, my parents and Greg’s parents and many other friends and family who have since gone to heaven. Such a sweet finale to our family gathering to celebrate our 50th year.

One more post to come on our travels home on Tuesday and any bits and bobs I might have forgotten.

Happy Tuesday to you. Our temperatures are still soaring close to and above 100. Our hot water tank got replaced on Saturday with the help of our son. We are keeping things low key and doing inside or early morning projects around the house. Hope all is well in your corner.

The Weekend

I was going to finish up my posts about our days in Walla Walla celebrating with our family but I didn’t want to couple those good memories with what happened this past weekend. I’ll finish up my posts later.

From small town USA to major cities and the world we were shocked and stunned by the Assassination attempt on former President Trump on Saturday July 13th. You never know what a day will bring. I happened to turn the TV on just as it was happening and it took me a while to understand the scope of it all. Our Colville kids arrived just a few minutes later and we all stared in disbelief.

Uncontrolled hatred has spawned evil and it is an ugly thing to watch.

We are praying for our nation. We are praying for Trump and his family. We are praying for the family of the young man who was killed in the line of fire. We are praying for the present leaders of our country.

19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Timely quote from this book we are reading, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, People in Need of Change-Helping People in Need of Change by Paul David Tripp;
~
“From the rise and fall of governments to tomorrow’s weather to the exact location of every human being, the universe is under God’s control. He has the power and authority to do exactly what pleases him, anywhere he chooses to do it. God’s sovereignty is not only about power and position, but also a plan. Scripture clearly teaches that God has a plan for his world and the people in it. God is calling people to himself, forming them into his likeness, and preparing them for an eternity with him. This is his overreaching plan of the ages, revealed in history, present in current events and in the lives of everyone who has ever lived. At any moment in time, the right answer to the question, “What is God doing?” is , “Accomplishing his plan.”

We love our country and the freedoms we enjoy but…

Our trust is in the LORD and we wait on Him to see what our future holds.

The Red Sea Place

The Red Sea Place
Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life,
Where in spite of all you can do,
There is no way out, there is no way back,
There is no other way but through?
Then wait on the Lord with a trust serene
Till the night of your fear is gone;
He will send the wind, He will heap the floods,
When He says to your soul, “Go on.”
And His hand will lead you through–clear through–
Ere the watery walls roll down,
No foe can reach you, no wave can touch,
No mightiest sea can drown;
The tossing billows may rear their crests,
Their foam at your feet may break,
But over their bed you shall walk dry shod
In the path that your Lord will make.
In the morning watch, ‘neath the lifted cloud
You shall see but the Lord alone,
When He leads you on from the place of the sea
To a land that you have not known;
And your fears shall pass as your foes have passed
You shall be no more afraid;
You shall sing His praise in a better place,
A place that His hand has made.
Annie Johnson Flint, 1866-1932
Christian Poet
Isaiah 43: 1-3 ~ …”Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;”…

Sunday in Walla Walla

On Sunday the 30th of June we had breakfast and lunch at the airbnb. Dan and Jamie provided these 2 meals for us all. For breakfast, Dan used Jamie’s sourdough bread to make French Toast to order and an egg on the side if we wanted.

After breakfast we had a glorious time at the pool as Greg baptized Dan. Greg gave a great background on what baptism is and Dan explained to all of us why he was taking this step of obedience.

After Dan’s baptism there was lots of splashing and fun in the pool before and after lunch!

For lunch we had a Charcuterie spread that was over the top.

More pool time after lunch.

Such delight!

For dinner on Sunday night we tried a Mexican Restaurant and it was okay. Some of us thought we should have gone back to the Greek restaurant. We were fed and we came back to our airbnb. Baba and Gramps offered to watch a movie with Addy and JJ while the married siblings went into downtown Walla Walla for some fun. We watched Greyfriar’s Bobby and it was a little slow for the Grands but we persevered to the end just as everyone came back home and it was time for bed for the littles.

Some photos from downtown Walla Walla…

Bright’s was a fun candy, ice cream, novelty store that they found and that we would all enjoy on Monday after our lunch downtown.

So thankful to God for these souls!

Dan and Jamie had just celebrated their 9th Anniversary on the 27th of June!

It was a good and glorious day from beginning to end!

Thanking God for his lovingkindness to all of us!

Truth for Today #108

Thursday July 11th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

2 Timothy 3:12-17

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

From Vera:

“He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭22‬:‭2‬-‭4

From Janc:

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.”

Psalm 143:8

From Karen:

Galatians 1:10

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men?

for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Older than You Think Hodgepodge

‘

Crater Lake way back in the 50’s.  Me, my sisters, younger brother and my mom. I’m in the middle.

HOT off the press are the Wednesday Hodgepodge questions. Thank you, Joyce!

1. Do you feel older or younger than your age? Elaborate. 

I feel younger than my age except when I look in the mirror closely.  I’m relatively healthy for someone my age. I’m not on any medications, can walk easily and most days have the energy to get things done. Hopefully my hips and knees will hold out for a long time.

2. What’s one thing you should toss right now, but just can’t? 

Some clothes that realistically I’ll never wear again. There are other things I should donate or sell, not toss.

3. Have you visited many of the 63 National Parks in the US of A? You’ll find a list here. Do you have a favorite? What National Park that you haven’t seen do you most want to see? 

I’ll work backwards on these questions. I would like to visit the Utah National Parks and Glacier. Glacier is the closest to us and more in my comfort temperature range.

I have been to the Grand Canyon, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains, Crater Lake, Badlands, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Olympic, and Redwood.

The Bible Camp I went to in my teens was in Kings Canyon.

4. How often do you get take out? What’s your favorite? 

We enjoy take-out from Thai to Go. It’s authentic and good. The owners will sometimes take a month off to go back to Thailand to visit family. They will also take a long time off in the winter and around holidays so we always have to double check to see if they are open.

When we are desperate we get take out from our local Chinese Restaurant.

We might get take out once every couple weeks.

5. Do you have many (or any) subscriptions? Not necessarily magazines, but thinking more along the lines of boxes or products that companies offer, and you can sign up to receive on a regular basis. Could be weekly, monthly, quarterly, even daily. Tell us about them. 

At this time we do not have any regular subscriptions. Greg was gifted a razor, etc., from Jeremy’s Razors and he still gets new blades every few months in the mailbox that were part of his gift.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A couple photos from the National Parks me/we have visited over the years…

Can you guess which one this is? 🙂

yellowstone day one 174

Or this one…

This photo is from 1988. *Hint* The mountain behind us is a volcano and is in Washington State.

Hope you Hodgepodgers are enjoying the heat of summer but staying cool.

 

Gathered Together

We made plans months ago for an early celebration with our family of ten in Walla Walla for Greg and my 50th wedding anniversary. Our actual anniversary is on December 6th but getting the ten of us together that time of year can be difficult. We decided on Walla Walla which was a place none of us had been to before. Laura researched the areas Airbnb options and we looked at a couple possibilities and decided on the Italian Villa. We locked in our dates that were good for each family unit and started making plans. On Saturday the 29th of June our four vehicles had driven equal distances from the northeast of Washington and the Western Puget Sound area of Washington to arrive here.

When Greg and I arrived at four we were in for a special surprise from our kids.

Who are those young kids!?

Dan’s macarons arranged in the numerals to celebrate our 50 years!

Laura retrieved photos from each of our kids’ weddings to add to ours for this special memorial photo collage. This is the message included in the photo collage…

They also had t-shirts made for us. All these things were a fun surprise and great beginning for our time together.

Thank you to all our kids for how you love and honor us!!

We all had our own bedrooms and each couple had their own bathroom. Not too shabby. Plenty of room for all of us to spread out.

We got settled and then got ready for dinner out at Yama’s Greek Eats in downtown Walla Walla. This would end up being our family favorite out of three restaurants we ate at. If you find yourself in Walla Walla eat here!

Our first day of celebration came to a close with excitement about pool time on Sunday and another special event. More to come, soon.

Our gifts have found their special place in our home.

We are currently in a heat wave and staying cool inside as much as possible. Hope all is well in your corner.

Along the Way…

Our little family of 10 planned a special getaway to Walla Walla for Saturday the 29th of June until Tuesday the 2nd of July. Greg and I left a day early to make a stop at Palouse Falls and spend the night in Richland, Washington.

We found our way to the parking lot at the viewpoint to see the falls.

 

From Palouse Falls we headed a little west to the town of Richland which is part of the Tri-Cities for a night at a Marriott property. We had enough points to have our night for free. When we checked in the friendly employee upgraded us to a suite with a view of the water (The Columbia River) for which we were grateful. We dropped off our luggage and ventured to the restaurant we chose for our dinner. We were back to our room for an early night and woke up on Saturday to a lovely sunrise.

We would have several hours to wile away on this day until we met up with Katie and Andrew for a wine tasting at Seven Hills Winery at 1:30. The Walla Walla area and the Columbia Valley area in this part of our state is renowned for wine production. Our check in time for our Airbnb wasn’t until 4pm.

Cheers!

There is much more to share. Thank you for stopping by.