Saturday, June 25, 2016

Saturday Morning and Breakfast Out

It's another cool breezy morning out here on the carport.  Missy and I are really enjoying it.  This is more like June.  July will be here soon enough.

I slept well again. The cough is better but still with me.  But the cough medicine helps me sleep. I had a cup of Chai this morning but will wait until breakfast to have my coffee. Bob and I go out to Sirloin Stockade for their breakfast. They have an omelet bar and I usually get an omelet.  He gets the buffet. Then we eat a very late lunch or just have leftovers at our respective apartments.

Last evening he got in late from Independence where he had his oil changed on his car at the Toyota dealership.  He didn't take time to eat anything. I offered him my sweet and sour chicken that I had left from Tuesday at Great China and warmed it up in the microwave.   H had that and a coke and I also had some of that cherry pie cake dessert and he finished that off too. We watched the CBS news and then the PBS news and Brooks and Shields. We both enjoy their commentary.

I brought Missy's little white mat out to the carport and she is lying on it enjoying the breeze and the sound of the birds. She simply loves being outside in the early morning and I drink my Chai out here and also the laptop so I can blog. She is behaving herself...so far. I have watered the potted plants and then went out on the patio where I have the hose and watered the tomato plant and the flowerbeds out there and swept off the doormat there. I had another tomato off the plant. That makes four now. Today I will peel and slice the peaches John and Leslie brought me at church last Sunday. That may be all I have for lunch although I do still have the sandwich I bought at Arby's on Thursday. I may eat that too.

More later....

Bob and I had breakfast at Sirloin Stockade this morning and then an hour later, he came by and we went to Bartlesville.  I had intended to buy my mascara there at Merle Norman but their store had closed. We walked around the mall and then just came back home. We did buy some jelly bellies but that's all we bought.

I will have to get my Merle Norman mascara at Independence on Tuesday.

It's a little after noon now and I will read. I have been into this book for at least a week now and then and are halfway through it.

So more even later...

This is my son and daughter-in-law's dog and cat.




Poor Chloe, she needs her own bed! This one is obviously Eddie's.

Bob came over this afternoon and did a small load of laundry. He stayed and watched the news. I read the third volume of our church history. I found it especially interesting because I have lived through these issues. Mark did a wonderful job on the history of our church. 

After finishing the book, and watching TV with Missy for an hour or so, we went to bed.


Friday, June 24, 2016

Friday at Last

It rained last night and this morning is cooler, thank goodness. It will probably be steamy today though.

I have set the table for lunch and fed both myself and Missy.  I just had to go fetch her from the east side of the apartment. She sneaked off while I was posting.  Darn cat! I put her inside to eat and drink a bit but she is back outside now.

I slept pretty well last night. I still have that hacking cough but I only take the cough syrup at night so I guess I have to expect it.  I got up shortly before 5:00.  I probably won't go back to exercise class until the cough clears up. I know how annoying it is to me to have someone coughing near me. That's how I got this crud at Conference initially.

I don't have a plan for today. I intend to have chicken tenders, boiled potatoes and a veggie for lunch. Bob will bring a salad. I still have cherry pie cake dessert too.

I filled the bird feeder again. It looks like the wind last night dumped what was in it from yesterday on the ground.  The squirrels will eat that if the birds don't.

Not a lot going on this morning. I watered the flowers in the pots. They set under the eaves and probably did not get watered from the rain. I also watered the tomato plant again. I had set it under the eaves on the east side to get it out of the boiling sun yesterday afternoon.   The flowers in the flower beds were watered by the rain last night.

I texted Bob a while ago. He had slept until 6:00 and was barely around and not dressed  yet.
He will take his car in to Toyota for an oil change  at 4:00 today.  He had a warning light of some kind concerning his oil levels and they want to monitor it to see if it has a problem. He took it in yesterday but they couldn't tell a lot about it until they monitor it. This appointment was a cancellation they had or it would have been next week before they could get him in. The warranty is over in October.

More later....

We had our chicken tenders for lunch and the rest of the meal was good too. After lunch Bob went home to take  his nap and I read all afternoon.

He came back about 5:30. He had just come in from Independence and had not eaten.  Luckily, I still had my sweet and sour chicken from Tuesday and I fixed it for him. He had some of the cherry pie cake dessert  afterward. he left about 7:00 and I took my bath and washed my hair. Missy and I sat in the recline until I was ready to go to bed. I will take some more cough medicine before I go to bed.

 

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Thursday and an Eye Appointment

I have an eye appointment in Caney this morning with Dr. Burch.  I may drive on down to Bartlesville to have lunch with Myra if she's free. Bob is on his own for lunch. I sent him home yesterday with some meatloaf and if he wants to, he can make a sandwich with it. I hope to hear back from her before I leave for Caney.

I slept well last night and got up around 5:00 AM.  I've dressed and fed myself and Missy and come outside to water my flowers and the tomato plant. They are struggling in this 99 degree daytime heat. It's nice this morning with a light breeze. I haven't had the TV weather on so I don't know what the temp  is this morning.

Scott, my younger son called a little while ago and filled me in on the progress of the unpacking and arrangement of the new home. It was good to hear from him. The boys are really good about staying in touch. Actually I see Leslie at church every weekend but I just don't socialize with them. They are so busy they really have no time to socialize much anyhow. They have the girls this week anyhow while Jeromy and Marlene are in Michigan. I don't know what they do with them when they are at work. Maybe Alberta, John's sister, takes them.

Missy disappeared while I was working on the blog. I found her on the west side of Marilyn's apartment. I picked her up and carried her back home. She hates to be picked up. Now she is lying here on her mat at my feet...behaving herself again. For how long, who knows?

More later....

I had my eye exam and got a new contact for my right eye. It's the latest bifocal and I like it very well. I will ask them to order that brand since it's the same price as the old ones.

Myra had an appointment for a massage and really wanted to keep it so lunch will have to be another day. I came on back home.  I guess I won't be cooking today. Bob texted me he was on his way to Quality Toyota in Independence. He must have some sort of a problem. He said he would tell me about it later.

I want to get out to Walmart and get my groceries so I'll continue this later.

I got my groceries and then after I put them away, I picked up Bob and we went to Arby's for lunch.  I couldn't think of a thing to cook. We just each had a sandwich. I still have the other half of my sweet and sour chicken from Tuesday's lunch in Independence.

I finally cleaned the apartment and did the floors today. Then all afternoon I read my Reader's Digest and when Bob came over at 5:30, I gave it to him.  He left at 7:00 and I did my bath and watched some TV with Missy until bedtime.


Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Sunday's Sermon



Discipleship is Demanding
June 26th, 2016
Luke 9: 51-62
A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53 but the Samaritans did not receive them, because Jesus’ face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”[a] 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then[b] they went on to another village.

Would-Be Followers of Jesus
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus[c] said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Let us first consider the first part of today’s passage (Luke 9:51–55). The disciples are struggling to understand Jesus as Messiah (God’s chosen) and how he is different from other rulers. (If you recall they really never “get it”). Jesus has “set his face to go to Jerusalem” (v. 51) and the quickest way there is through a Samaritan village, but the Samaritans refuse Jesus’s messengers passage. James and John are furious. How dare these heretical Samaritans hinder God’s Messiah on his way to Jerusalem! They ask Jesus, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (v. 54).

What came next probably startled James and John—Jesus rebuked them! (v. 55). James and John still did not understand that God’s kingdom is about healing and peace and not violence.

God rebukes us also when we are tempted by violence in the name of Jesus. God does not encourage our anger or acts of violent revenge. Jesus was not a typical king. He was much different. Jesus did not act as ruler, president, or prime minister of a country. He acted as “friend”.

Still we are challenged to continue to do our part to bring about God’s kingdom through peaceful means even though, as our theme reminds us, “discipleship is demanding”.

Community of Christ proclaims Jesus as our messiah because he brought the world an altogether different image of a ruler from that with which the world had been accustomed. He taught by peace and healing… by example and parable.  

Our church promotes communities of joy, hope, love, and peace. There has to be a better way…the way Jesus taught.

We have tried war to settle disputes and we have tried anger and sometimes violence to settle our personal disputes in our relationships but experience and history both tell us that approach does not work. Wars only bring on more wars. Arguments only bring on more conflict.

The First World War was supposed to be the war to end all wars since it was the first worldwide war. Instead it only introduced more wars. Millions died on both sides and both sides felt that God was on their side of the conflict. After that… the entire twentieth century was marred by one war after another. And they were mostly caused by feelings of revenge.

Our personal relationships, instead of being marked by peaceful compromises, often only lead to anger and hostility and sometimes even end in separation and divorce.

If we believe God’s reign on Earth, the kingdom, is one of joy, hope, love, and peace and that “The mission of Jesus is what matters most for the journey ahead” (Doctrine and Covenants 164:9f), then there is nothing more important than following Jesus’ teachings.

The second part of today’s passage returns to the theme of committed, unhesitating life as a disciple (vv. 56–62). Jesus taught that nothing is more important than proclaiming God’s kingdom, not even burying your father or saying good-bye to your family. You cannot look back says Jesus, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (v. 62). I know that seems a hard teaching. But the lesson is there!

What a challenge! The challenge is that we should not hesitate in our commitment to discipleship. But that sort of commitment is hard…and demanding.

And it has to begin at home. We must eventually learn the ways of peace. It begins with love. Our world must learn to put aside our personal prejudices and pride and work together for a peaceful means of settling our differences.  Our goal of helping to build God’s kingdom is like the parable of the sower Jesus compared to God’s kingdom in Matthew 13.  Let us look at those parables.

Matthew 13: 1 – 54
The Parable of the Sower
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears[a] listen!”

The Purpose of the Parables
10 Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets[b] of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ 

14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:
‘You will indeed listen, but never understand,
    and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
    and their ears are hard of hearing,
        and they have shut their eyes;
        so that they might not look with their eyes,
    and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn—
    and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.[c] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat
24 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed
31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

The Parable of the Yeast
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with[d] three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

The Use of Parables
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. 35 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:[e]
“I will open my mouth to speak in parables;
    I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.”[
f]

Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears[g] listen!

Three Parables
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Treasures New and Old
51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.”
But did they? And do we? 

There is a better way and someone has to lead the way. The way of peace churches is God’s way. But that way is demanding and requires patience. The Kingdom of God is about healing and peace not revenge, greatness, or violence. Are we up to it?

Let us realize that helping to build the kingdom is one relationship at a time…one friendship…one community and one day at a time. Sometimes in today’s violent world, we may feel overwhelmed.

That is what feels demanding. But just like life, we can only take one day at a time and one relationship at a time. We do what we can. We find organizations that help to build peace in our communities and we decide to join with them. We make friends of our neighbors and we invite them to join with us in God’s mission and we share our vision of peace and God’s Kingdom with them.

That’s how we bring forth the kingdom! Yes, it is demanding…but also very rewarding.

Wednesday and Game Day

It's game day at the senior center this afternoon. I haven't gone back to exercise class yet and probably won't until the cough is completely gone but I will go to game day. By afternoon, it is gone until evening. 

I slept until almost 6:00 this morning. Then I got up and around and finally had my breakfast of  greek yogurt and granola. I had a cup of coffee and a cup of chai latte too.  I brought Missy out on the carport and watered my flowers and the tomato plant after that.  She loves being out. After I finished my breakfast I brought the laptop out here to blog.

When I came out I noticed the bird feeder was on the ground and the seed was on the ground too. It  had the cord pulled out and the top had come apart and that made it fall to the ground.  I put it back together again (this is the second time that's happened) and used the pliers to mash the brads that hold the cord tighter. If it happens again, I will buy a new bird feeder. I saw several finches eating and a beautiful red cardinal too.

I will put together my meatloaf for lunch after awhile and then bake my lemon bars if we are to bring treats today. If it's Bingo Day, Asbury Village, the retirement village who run the Bingo games, provide the treats and the prizes. I will have to ask Marilyn later after she gets up. She is a night owl. I am an early morning person.

We will have the meatloaf and some microwave baked potatoes and a veggie and Bob will bring coleslaw too. I think I have some fruit for dessert. I know I still have John and Leslie's peaches and I could fix them.  I may do that.  But I will have to wait until Missy is ready to go back in.

More later....

Well, we came back in and I got the meatloaf ready to go and the baked potatoes and have laid out the dish for the veggie and set the table. Then I made lemon bars for game day.

After that I came into the den and downloaded a site to watch the professor at Yale, Dale Martin, discuss the Introduction of his New Testament course. I have that entire course saved on my computer and it is on u-tube. I will watch an episode every afternoon until I get through the course.  But now it is time to begin putting together lunch.

So more later....

Lunch was good and afterward I took the directories to Karan at game day.  She has a sewing machine and can stitch them up. We had a good time and I got home about 3:30...after we put the tables away.

I've worked the crossword puzzle in yesterday's Reporter and will take it over to Marilyn R's.  Then I will watch another of those classes on the New Testament.

More even later....

Bob came over at 5:30 to watch the news and  he left at 7:00. I took my bath and put my PJs on and sat with Missy and watched "Nature". I will try to stay up until 9:00.


Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Tuesday and Hairdo Day

Thank goodness I am getting my hair done today. It looks terrible. Afterward I will have Bob drop me off at Juanita's and I will balance her checkbook and visit awhile. Then Bob and I will go to lunch. I also want to get Leslie's birthday card and gift. We will go to Sayers. They have a lot of neat gifts.

I slept well last night after I finally quit coughing and got to sleep. I awoke coughing again though. I got myself and Missy around and came out on the carport at 5:45. She is so delighted that she's being good and staying around. Right now she's lying on my doormat. For some reason, she likes that.

I will pick up Bob at 8:00. We will have to take the rough detour again. I don't know when they are going to have that road fixed. It's aggravating! When we get finished at Juanita's we will go to Great China and eat lunch. I need to get stamps while I'm up there too. There are several birthdays in July..beginning with my daughter and Johnna on the 1st and the 3rd. I send out birthday cards for the congregation.

I had the rest of Bob's pumpkin bread for my breakfast. It was just a small piece but I needed something on my stomach to take my meds.

I have been reading the third volume of my church's church history. I bought that at the Conference. The church historian is a friend of mine and he signed it for me. It covers from the 1940's to 2015. I also have three other books going but I'll get back to them later. 

More later...

We went to Independence and I learned it was time for my haircut and color. After that was finished I went over to Juanita's and balanced her checkbook.  Then I picked up Bob and we went to Great China and had lunch.

When I got home I went to Dollar General and looked for Missy's treats. They have quit carrying them. So I went to Family Dollar and found some. I also bought paper towels and kleenex.

Then after that I spent the rest of the afternoon putting together five more church directories. I will ask Karan to sew them together.  She has a sewing machine.

Bob is here now watching the news. When he leaves I will take my bath and see if Missy wants to sit on my lap tonight before bedtime.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Monday and Lunch Here

I don't think I'm going back to exercise class just yet. I still have this nagging cough don't really want to be around people too much. I don't think I'm contagious but...who knows?

I slept well last night...probably because of exhaustion. It was a big day and having the "small" group last night was a blessing.  I just packed too much into that day. I drove over to Cherryvale for lunch yesterday after church with a group, Then I went to the market to buy groceries. After that...after carrying them in and putting them away, I baked my dessert for last evening and then did the congregation's newsletters.  The group came at 7:00 and they left at almost 9:00. I went straight to my bath and to bed.

Today I will fix tuna cakes for lunch. I have some saved leftover boiled potatoes from last week and I will fry them and we will have a veggie and Bob's salad.  I have plenty of dessert left from last night. I also have John and Leslie's peaches.  I would have to peel and slice them though. I will do that later in the week.

Tomorrow is my hair day and by then I also will probably have Juanita's checkbook to balance.  Also, I need to look for a birthday gift for Leslie. Her birthday is the 1st of July. She will be 59.  She was born in 1957. My children are all senior citizens. :) She is my middle child.  Bob will probably go with me and visit his sister while I am at Juanita's. Then we will have lunch at Great China, I imagine.

More later...

We had our lunch today and before that I worked on Sunday's sermon.  I think it is finished.
I took some of the cherry pie dessert over to Marilyn R, my neighbor. She has not felt well in ages. She stays in the house and sews and does jigsaw puzzles. ..out of the heat.

I have paid some bills and now will go read awhile this afternoon.

More even later...

Karan called about 2:30 and was home.  I went over to try to figure out what was wrong with her printer. It wouldn't print.  It was needing a driver compatible with Windows 10. We downloaded one from the Microsoft off the internet and that fixed it.  She was very pleased  and I was happy I could help.

I read this afternoon. It was very hot.

More even later...

Bob came over this evening and stayed until 7:00. After he left, I took my bath and read awhile until I got sleepy and then went to bed. 

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Sunday and Church

I awoke coughing again this morning shortly before 5:00. My cough syrup had worn off. I seldom cough after I get up. It's lying down that does it, I guess.

I never did get to the market yesterday to get my list of stuff so I didn't have my coffeecake mix to bake. Bob is going to bake his pumpkin bread instead. I will do two in a row myself the next two weeks.

I only heard from Gary last night. He is not interested in our Living the Questions group meeting on Father's Day and it is Father's Day. I don't blame him. He is a divorced dad and his kids are pretty good at keeping in touch with him. Marilyn has gone to Washington State to visit her daughter and grandchildren. That leaves just Bob, Karan, Joyce and me unless Mona and Richard come and I haven't heard from Mona either.  In fact, I haven't heard from Joyce either. Evidently no one marks their calendars when we schedule these meetings.  So they have to be reminded. Personally, I'm about ready to give them up.

I brought Missy out just as soon as it got light. She loves being outside when it's cool and it's not bad this morning.  I have sat here and read the newspaper and I also did the crossword puzzle.

More later....

I stayed out with Missy a couple of hours and then it came time to leave for church so I took her in.

Church was good. We had more of a group then I imagined. The sermon was good too. Afterward we took our two guests and Bob, Phyllis, Karan and I drove over to Cherryvale to "Just Us" for lunch.

Afterward, I came home and went to Walmart for some groceries. Then I made up my cherry pie cake and let it cool.   I was totally exhausted by then.

At 7:00, Joyce and Karan came and Bob was already there reading the newspaper. About 7:20, we finally got started on the video and afterward discussed it some. Joyce broke some news for us and Karan and she discussed their journey. They both lost their husbands. Joyce lost Keith a year and a half ago and, of course, Karan just lost Bobby two months ago.

After everyone left, I took my bath and went to bed. I still have this racking cough now and then and between it and the heat, I was worn out.

Karan will have the next group meeting in two weeks on the 3rd.

I speak at church on Sunday so I will have to find some time to work up a sermon on the theme "Discipleship is Demanding".