Summer Days

Although it is not officially summer yet, the weather certainly seems to think it is. It has really been hot and humid here in S Texas lately, with lots of stormy, rainy weather. We will be heading to Arkansas at the end of this month for two months - maybe then the allergies that I have be dealing with will be better there. I never have had allergies but the past two years it sure seems to have caught up with me. Lots of dry cough, runny eyes, and sneezing. Perhaps it is because something is always blooming here. Thanks to the rain, everything is still green and pretty, even the lake here at the park is full. The water birds and frogs seem to love it.Those big ole bull frogs are singing away in the evening, and hopping all over during the day.

We really need to pray for our country which seems to be totally out of control. We need God's intervention to bring everyone back to some sense of rational thinking and living. It has been difficult living with all of the restrictions due to the Corona virus, and now this rioting and looting going on. I understand the frustrations of the people with the injustices that are happening but burning down and destroying your own city is no solution. Most of the rioters are those who have no interest in the issues - they just incite others in order to cause confusion and chaos. How does setting cars on fire, smashing windows, and looting pertain to the death of George Floyd?? Violence does not stop violence, it only adds fuel to the fire

This last Thursday, a few of the ladies from the colonias (some of our loyal helpers) along with Ida came to visit Miss Opal and also us. We met at Miss Opal's house for a short visit and a few snacks, even a bit of reading from Psalms and a few songs in Spanish  Even with the language barrier, we all communicated well, and had such a wonderful visit. When they arrived at Miss Opal's, their first question was , "Where is Fred??" He did not join us at that time. Honestly - why were they so concerned about him - I was there wasn't I??? After we all left Miss Opal's, we went to our house. It was a time to relax with them, get to know them better in a different setting, and let them get to know us better as ordinary people, not just those missionaries who deliver food to them. It was our wedding anniversary week (59 years!!!) so I showed them pictures of our wedding, which created much discussion and even some more laughter.

God again blessed us with an abundance of produce for both of our deliveries this past week. We received 47 prepackaged boxes of food - large boxes with potatoes, tomatoes, oranges, beans, onions, and other items already boxed up and ready to hand out. It was a great time and energy saver for all of us. Along with our regular distribution, we served over 150 families. Severe storms were predicted for Friday, so we watched the weather and prayed. The rain and storm held off until we were returning home - thank you Lord!!

Pastor Vance continued his sermon this morning in the book of James which we again watched live on the computer.  Last week he discussed how was our attitude during times of trouble. This week was a big question - how do we deal with temptation during times of trouble. Our attitude and temptation and directly connected. During times of trial we are tempted to lose our trust in God. Why did He let this happen, where is He when I need Him, etc.We cannot use one bad thing to justify sins, exactly what is happening in our country today. We need to slow down and love others. God  wants spiritual truth and not religious nuts! The truth of our faith is through our hearts and the transformation of our hearts. When we face trials, we do need to slow down and act in healthy ways. There are things to help us handle temptation. One is to look at the source of temptation. We all are tempted and cannot trust ourselves to turn away from it. Do not blame God, do not blame your childhood, your spouses, or even your children. Adam blamed God for his sin - after all it was the woman whom God had created that made Him eat the apple. Eve blamed Satan for enticing her to eat the apple.  God is not the source of our temptation as He is holy and only wants the best for us. The real fault comes from our sinful desires. We are a sinful people. Another way to handle temptation is to look at the cause of temptation.There is a definite pattern for our temptation. There is desire - we are lured by outside influences. One of the lures is that we feel sorry for ourselves, so we justify our desires. We feel that we deserve to act in sinful ways and disobedience which gives way to sin.It is not a sin to be tempted, but it is a call to battle. We have to make a choice to resist temptation. Sin births death which is the separation from God. The third way to handle temptation is the conquering of the temptation. Satan tried to confuse us about the goodness of God. God's goodness does not change. He is good all the time. God's way are the best ways. Remember who we are - we are children of God. We have the power to resist temptation - it is the power of the spirit within us. We can win the victory of the trails that we face today.