Saturday and Breakfast Out

I slept poorly last night. I first woke up at 12:20 after going to bed at 9:00 and lay there until almost 3:00 AM without being able to get back to sleep. I got up and went to the bathroom and also took my thyroid pill. When I finally did get back to sleep, I slept until shortly before 4:00. I just got up at 4:45. I am taking my temp again. I want to see if I should go have breakfast out.

It's almost 5:00 and at this time, I have no temp. Good!

I don't know what I will do today. I know I am tried of staying home and I have a list to fill at Walmart. I will go out there after breakfast and after I take Bob home... if the temp stays down.

More later...

I went to Walmart and bought what I could.  I needed Kitty Litter but the boxes were all 20 pounds or even more and I am not supposed to lift more then 10 pounds so I may have to ask Bob to go over to the Dollar General store and buy the litter for me.

I did go to breakfast...but the meal was cold. I stopped going to Eggberts once because of cold food. I may have to do that again. I had one small cold scrambled egg with two pieces of cold bacon and three pancakes...also cold. I couldn't eat them all.

More even later...

Bob did run out to Walmart and buy a box of kitty litter. I couldn't have lifted it. It was 20 pounds.  I appreciated his help.

I lay all afternoon on the sofa with Missy just reading. She slept.

I finally ate my beans with some of Bob's wheat crackers. Betty came for the apartment inspection and did some work on some of the apartments.

Bob decided not to come over this evening and I lay on the couch and watched TV until a little after 6:00 when I took my shower and washed my hair. I will try to stay up until at least 9:00.

Friday and Feeling Puny

I slept fairly well last night. I awoke once around 1:00 AM and had some trouble getting back to sleep. Then I slept until almost 6:00 AM. I took my temp again this morning and it was not quite 100 degrees. I figured I must have had another temp break in the night. My bangs were wet when I woke up.

I got myself ready for the day, fed Missy and myself. Now I am working on this blog. That's all I feel up to. It will probably take a few days for the infection to clear up. I wonder if I picked it up in the hospital. I have been taking 1000 mg of Acetaminophen twice a day. That dosage that I took for the soreness may have kept the fever down and kept me from knowing I had an infection. No one will ever know for sure.  But I have been meticulous in my hygiene.

I had a text from Scott this morning. He had read my blog and learned about the infection. I hadn't shared that news with either of the boys.  I knew Scott was fighting another cold and Keith was studying for a test. They want to be kept in the loop though.

More later....

Bob dropped by after exercise class and so did Karan. She brought me a Utopiachino drink...bless her heart. I just love those things. I drank the tall one after everyone left. I froze the smaller one.

I am feeling somewhat better. The last time I took my temp it was normal.

More even later...

That was short lived! At 1:10 I took my temp again and once again it was back to 100. It seems if I even move, that drives my temp up. Leslie suggested I call the doctor's office and report it. They said to give it a couple more days and if it doesn't stop doing that, I may have to go into the hospital where, I suppose, they can give it IV. Ugh!

I lay around all afternoon and really had no appetite  at all. I ate the other part of my Utopiacenia and took my antibiotic.

At 5:15, Bob came over and watched the news with me. He stayed until 7:00.  After he left, I took my shower and put my p.j.s on and lay with Missy on the sofa again until 9:00. I stayed up to watch the program on the Melendez boys trial. If you recall they killed their parents. I believe that was back in the 80's.

I took my temp once more and went to bed at 9:00.  At that point...no fever.

A Strange Thursday

I slept well last night and only woke up once to go to the bathroom. When I woke up at 5:30, the bed was soaked and so were my p.j.s. I imagine I had had a fever and it broke. I took my temp and it was only a little under 100 degrees. Surely it would have been higher then that in the night before it broke. That might explain why I couldn't seem to get my hands and feet warm last evening.

I texted Leslie this morning after I thought she might be awake and she agreed I should just wait and call Dr. Peaster's office later in the morning at 9:00 and see what they say. I sure don't want to go to the emergency room over this unless it's absolutely necessary.

I am supposed to go up to Juanita's and balance her checkbook this morning. Then I was going to go to Bartlesville after lunch and look for some brown slacks. Now everything is on hold.  Darn!

More later...

I finally got hold of the doctor's nurse at 9:00. She said she would discuss it with the doctor and get back with me. She got back with me at 11:30. He ordered me out some antibiotics I am to take twice a day for a week. I took my temp again this afternoon and it was up to 100 again. I took one of those antibiotics and Leslie suggested I also take some of that Acetaminophen. By the time I took two of those, the temp was back up to 101.  I called Bob and told him not to come this evening. I just wasn't up to it again.

I did take a shower. Last night I just took a sponge bath.  I needed a shower tonight. My p.j.s are now in the laundry so I wore my old ones. It's only 6:40. I wonder how long I can stay up this evening. Last night I went to bed at 8:00.

This recovery is no fun!

Wednesday and Game Day

I slept very well last night and only woke up one time. I feel quite a bit better today. Marilyn asked me yesterday if I would like to ride to game day with her.  I will do that. I really have cabin fever and want to get out and do something now that I am feeling better.

Tomorrow I will go to Independence to help Juanita with her checkbook. Afterward I will come home and Bob and I will have the chili I fixed yesterday.  Then tomorrow afternoon, if I am still feeling better, I will go to Bartlesville and look for a pair of brown slacks for church. I thought I had some but Sunday I looked everywhere and could not find them. I must have been mistaken.

This healing is a slow process. I get impatient about it. I am used to be able to do whatever I want without feeling like an invalid. :)


We had our leftover meatloaf for lunch with fried potatoes and peas and Bob's salad.  Tomorrow we will have our chili. I will take some to Marilyn.  She took me to game day at the senior center today. I had a good time although I am tired now.

More even later...

This evening I just can't get warm. My hands and feet  are cold and I have turned up the furnace. I lay on the sofa with Missy after I got home from game day. I was very tired.

Bob came over at 5:00 and stayed until 6:45. When he left, I didn't even take a shower. I just wasn't up to it.  I took a sponge bath and about 8:00 I went to bed.

Tuesday and Hair Day

I slept fairly well last night although I woke up twice and it took forever to get back to sleep. 

Thank goodness today is the day I get my hair done. We also have to deliver cakes today to the First Christian Church in Independence.  Bob is driving today. I am not supposed to drive until tomorrow. So we will transfer the boxes that hold them into his truck and then take the cakes out there.

Everything feels a little better today. However I just took another two Acetaminophen. As soon as the Dollar General store opens at 7:00 I will walk down there and buy some stewed tomatoes and canned great northern beans. I want to use the other half of that 2 pound pack of ground beef and make chili with it. I thawed the beans I made before my surgery but don't want to add them to ground beef. They have ham in them.

Juanita called last night. She doesn't think she got her bank statement yesterday but didn't check her mail. When she gets it, I will drive back up there tomorrow and work on her bank statement to balance her checkbook. Then I may drive down to Bartlesville and buy a pair of brown dress pants. I thought I had a pair but I couldn't find them on Sunday.

More later...

Bob came and we loaded the cakes into his trunk. Then we left for Independence. When we got there, we took the cakes in and left them at the First Christian Church. Then Bob took me on to my hair appointment and he went out to visit Betty, his sister. After that, we  killed some time at Walmart and also the Dollar General store before going to Big Cheese and having lunch. Then we drove out to John and Leslie's and I picked up the book I want to send to Gay to read. Then he brought me home to do my newsletters. I will put the book in a book bag to mail to Gay.

Moe even later...

I finally got the newsletters finished and then took a nap. I feel much better today and much of the soreness is gone.

I took Marilyn the Cashew Chicken I had brought home. I really didn't want to eat it again and since I had not eaten from that part, I asked her if she would like to have it. In return, she gave me several of those small oranges that peel so easily.  I had one when I got home.

Bob came over about 5:00 and watched the news with me. He left about 6:45 and I took my shower and put my pjs on and lay with Missy on the sofa until 9:00. Then we went to bed. Again, I was exhausted.

Monday and Another Cold Day

I slept very well last night. I awoke a couple of times but got back to sleep both times. I am still sore this morning but I just took a couple of Acetaminophen and that should take care of that in awhile.

Bob just texted me to see if I was doing any better. He will drop by before he goes to exercise class.

I am going to fix a meatloaf today for lunch. We will have potatoes and peas and Bob will bring a salad.  I am ready for a meal. I did have Chinese yesterday after church but I am ready for some American food.

Tomorrow I will go to Independence and get my hair done. It looks terrible. Then we will eat at Big Cheese again, I guess, since we had Chinese yesterday.

More later....

Bob dropped by before his exercise class. When he left I decided I would walk over to the Dollar General store and buy some more Acetaminophen. I will need it this afternoon when this dose wears off.  I will walk over there in a few minutes. It's very cold out there and I will need a coat for sure.


It turned out to be a beautiful though brisk day. I put a coat on and walked a half block down to the Dollar General store and got the few things I needed. I also took the wet swifter and mopped the bathroom floor. Missy had strung some litter over it. I am doing a little better now. It takes Acetaminophen a long time to work.I took it before 8:00 this morning and it is after ten now and it only started working about 30 minutes ago and it still has not worked as well as in previous days. 

More after lunch..

I never did get the sort of relief that I have had in the past few days. I still had an awful bad "soreness" and the med didn't relieve that.

I did go ahead and fix lunch because I had defrosted the meat and it was good. But after Bob left, I lay down on the sofa and tried to rest. Karan brought her cake over once and otherwise I just lay on the sofa for a couple of hours.  I am going to take some more Acetaminophen is a little while.

More even later...

Bob came back over at 5:15 and stayed until 6:45. After he left,  Marilyn L. came over and brought two blueberry muffins and I ate one of them. They were still warm. Then I took two more Acetaminophen and took a sponge bath and put my p.j.s on and lay back down with Missy until 8:00 when I just gave up and went to bed. 

Sunday's Sermon

MATTHEW 4:12–23

Sharing the Scripture

¹² When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³ Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— ¹⁴ to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶ the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.”^[a]

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.

²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

While scholars disagree about who the author of Matthew was, there is general agreement the book was written by a Jewish writer for a Jewish audience in the last quarter of the first century. This is significant for two reasons as we examine today’s text which marks the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

First, the author points out that Jesus, after hearing of John’s arrest, leaves Nazareth—a Jewish community—to make a home in Capernaum, which is also in Galilee. Jesus’ move fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy about the Gentiles seeing “a great light.” Such a connection to the Hebrew Scriptures is the writer’s way of saying to the Jewish audience, “you need to pay attention to the rest of this story.”

Besides fulfilling prophecy, this account communicates that Jews were not the only people invited to this adventure with Jesus. In the language of Community of Christ’s Enduring Principles, “All Are Called”, not just one group of people.

A third theme of major importance is Jesus’ announcement of the kingdom of heaven on Earth.

As the author of Matthew addressed a Jewish audience, most of the time he used kingdom of heaven instead of kingdom of God. He proclaimed that, “the kingdom of heaven has come near,” continuing a message John the Baptist had been promoting before his arrest (Matthew 4:17). The message is not one of a place after death, but of the presence of the kingdom in the here and now—a message he would later reinforce in what we know as the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This message resonates to this day with Community of Christ and its idea of “the peaceable kingdom.”

A final theme speaks as much to followers of Jesus today as it did when Matthew was written.

According to the text, Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to go with him and they “immediately” left everything—jobs, possessions, even family—to follow him. The author provides no background so we have no details of what made them respond immediately. Some say the fishermen had been disciples of John and heard John’s proclamation of Jesus mission. 

Some sensed something special in Jesus and couldn’t resist him. Others think these new disciples also may have sensed Jesus’ expectation for them to respond quickly and completely because the message of the kingdom on Earth was so important.

I believe Jesus sensed the urgency of the times. Some of his disciples had been John’s disciples first. Now they heard Jesus proclaim the same message “Repent!” In other words, Jesus was challenging the disciples, and all with whom he shared his message, to change…not only themselves, but also their society. They needed to take care of one another…be there for one another.  In other words…live out God’s kingdom on earth. 

We are not told how the fishermen or their families would be provided for during the men’s absence. Perhaps, and we can hope this is so…they took care of one another while the men were away. In some of the other Gospels there are similar examples of the expectation for an immediate response. It appeared the authors wanted to express the urgency Jesus felt to have active disciples reach out to as many people as possible while striving to live out the kingdom of heaven on Earth.

Jesus brought light into the dark places of the world and into individual lives.  He worked hard spreading his message of hope for a better world..one of peace and love and healing as well as acceptance of all individuals.  He challenged his disciples to do the same. His message was one that our church should recognize as “What matters most!” Mission…is what matters most. Mission is not only sharing the church beliefs and baptizing them. It is teaching them by example to take care of one another. 

Unfortunately by the 4^th century, that important message had been changed to one of “salvation theology”.  That message only benefited the early church and its hierarchy.  His urgent original message was largely lost in the varied doctrines and dogmas of the various Christianities leading up to the 4^th century. 

This Isaiah text functions in Matthew 4:12-16 as an analogy for Rome’s empire. “Galilee owned by or under the rule of Gentiles” now belonged to and was ruled by another Gentile empire. Roman control had been freshly asserted over Galilee in destroying Jerusalem and its temple in 70CE.

Matthew’s Gospel, written in the 80s, cited Isaiah 9:1-2 to describe Roman rule as “darkness” and “death.” It positioned Jesus, at the beginning of his public ministry, as the light or saving presence that shined in the darkness of Rome’s imperial domination. Jesus asserted God’s light or saving rule in Roman Galilee. At first, he did that quietly in small villages. It was dangerous.

The Gospel reflects its imperial world at this point. Roman imperial structures and practices were bad for people’s health. Some 70-90 percent of folks in Rome’s empire experienced varying degrees of poverty -- from the very poorest to those who temporarily fell below subsistence levels.

Understandings of hygiene were limited; social stresses were high; water quality poor, food insecurity was rife with low quality and limited quantities. Such factors resulted in widespread diseases associated with poor nutrition (blindness; muscle weakness etc.) and a lack of immunity (diarrhea; cholera etc.). These kinds of diseases were death-bringing in a world that required physical labor for survival.

Jesus’ healings were acts that repaired imperial damage and enacted God’s life-giving empire in restoring people’s lives. They anticipated the completion of God’s working that created a world, envisioned by Isaiah, in which all people enjoy abundant good food (Isaiah 25:6-10a) and physical wholeness, where “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them” (Matthew 11:5; Isaiah 35:5-6).

Perhaps here in this scripture we get a glimpse of Jesus' kind of existence.  From his earliest days through his adult life and ministry, Matthew's Jesus is an itinerant preacher, a constant wanderer.  Jesus did not opt for the comforts of the familiar but embraced God's call to find those who were in need of a healing ministry wherever they might live. From the first and in consonance with prophetic promise, Jesus ministered in an ethnically diverse land.

In an ever more mobile and diverse culture, Jesus' moves are in some sense familiar to many of us. 
The dislocation of a new place and new neighbors can be both thrilling and intimidating.  New surroundings can provide us a new start, a nearly blank slate that might allow us to recreate how others perceive us and how we perceive ourselves.  New surroundings also can cause us to question every dimension of our selves.  Moving causes us to ask anew, "Who am I?"  The richness of diverse communities can help us understand others better but also ourselves.  In Matthew, Jesus' experiences must have shaped his perspective, helping him understand a community as both an insider and an outsider.

In Capernaum, Jesus picked up the proclamation of John.  John's arrest in 4:12 marked a critical transition but not an entirely new path.  The basic proclamation of both is identical: "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near" Later Jesus sent his disciples to preach the same message.  At the same time, John himself promised that Jesus would be a more powerful and important figure in this story.  So what is the shape of this reign of God?  How was Jesus uniquely bringing it about?

These men were unlikely to be individuals of great social power or individual wealth.  These fishers were not among the elite of ancient culture.  Though Jesus' disciples would play a vital function in the earliest days of the church, on this day they are utterly ordinary individuals called to an extraordinary task.  I imagine that they would not have completely understood what it would mean to become fishers of people at the moment, yet they followed without hesitation.  Many came to John seeking his baptism; here Jesus calls a small cadre of those disciples to follow his itinerant path of preaching and healing.

Having begun to assemble his disciples, Jesus turned to his work.  He taught in the synagogues.  He pronounced "the good news of the kingdom."  He made the sick and infirm whole.  These were the defining characteristics of Jesus' daily labors in Matthew.  Teaching, proclaiming the kingdom, and healing were integrated components of his ministry.

"Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near."  Spoken nearly two millennia ago, how does this promise now function for us today?  Is the kingdom of heaven still drawing near even today?  In a world of violence and war it is hard to see that connection…but it is there. We hear much from the media about the violence and war but little about those serving needs worldwide.

It is vital to observe the close connection of preaching, teaching, and healing in Jesus' ministry.  The proclamation of the kingdom was not solely verbal, not just a teaching but a series of actions designed to bring wholeness to individuals and communities. We are challenged to follow his example. We are challenged to preach teach and heal the immediate world around us.

The reign of God has dawned not only because Jesus spoke it into existence but also because he was willing to heal the sick and make whole the broken.  Thus, it is not a point of embarrassment for us that Jesus proclaimed the dawning of God's direct rule over the world so very long ago, for he believed deeply and enacted powerfully God's reshaping of the world.

How then are we to proclaim today, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near"?

Unfortunately, for many people today, such utterance is characteristic of the wild-eyed preacher who has lost contact with reality. Perhaps, these few verses proclaimed this Sunday can help remind us of Jesus' life-giving words and deeds.  Perhaps, these few verses proclaimed this Sunday can help remind us to proclaim the drawing near of God's reign not as a threat but a life-giving promise.

Let us ask ourselves: When have we sensed Jesus saying, “Follow me” and how have we responded? How has our life been changed by following Jesus message and teachings? How have we experienced the kingdom being near us? How does that feel? What might “immediately” following Jesus look like today? What value, if any, do we see in the author of Matthew using Isaiah’s prophecy? Into what new or different mission might God be calling the congregation to follow Jesus teaching and example?

Only we as individuals and a congregation can answer these questions. But let us ask them.

Sunday and a Sermon

I slept well again last night. I got up shortly after 5:00, got myself dressed and Missy and myself fed. Then I got the paper and read it. It is raining out today. 

I speak today at church. I had not realized I was scheduled until last Tuesday so I thought I would just work up the sermon after I got home from the hospital That worked out o.k.

I don't know how it will go. I didn't put a lot of work into it. I usually get it together a week or two beforehand. I will just do the best I can. We will also eat out somewhere after church...either Great China or Just Us. Whichever is fine with me.

Keith called last night and he got the header on my Outlook on the desktop fixed. It was simple and really I should have seen it myself. I did have a nice visit with him though. He had been studying for an exam and that was why I had not heard from him since I was in the hospital.

I am waiting until 8:45 to take my Acetaminophen. I want it to work best during church school and church.I am still pretty sore.

I see the Florida kids are still under tornado warnings. I have the weather on this morning following the progress.

More later....