An end to another busy week, another one full of surprises for the ministry. As we prepared to deliver on Friday and arrived at the distribution point, there was a picnic table full of cases of bottled flavored water and orange drink. Another ministry had extras and had delivered them for use for our people. What a wonderful surprise. Along with the overflowing supply of produce we also received bottles of hand sanitizer which made for overflowing boxes to hand out. The previous Tuesday we handed out to 80+ families and Friday was over 200 families. We are so very thankful for our helpers and the suppliers that we too are awed by what we receive. Fred spent one day with a supplier bagging up 500# of sugar coated cereal (not very healthy but the kids love it). I know I should not be amazed, but I am every week with God's provision.
One of our chaplains purchased a mobile home in his park for use of chaplains and preachers who need a place to stay for a few days- either as a much needed break and a time to relax, or as a stopping point in a change in appointment, during training, or any reason. He is naming the home "Simon's place" in reference to Luke 7:36 when Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to come to his house to rest. How very appropriate.
We took a few hours one afternoon and browsed through a huge flea market close by when if you can dream it, it probably could be found there. The merchants cater tot he Winter Texans, so there is a multitude of things there from fake nails, to boxes of cards. silver jewelry sales, Amish canned items, all sorts of fresh fruits, leather belts and purses, diabetic socks, fabric, etc. A nice place to visit to relax. Along with those tempting items, the smell of donuts and restaurant food abound - the best being the freshly made kettle corn. As we were making our way through the stands, Fred stopped to ask the vender a question when I noticed something different about him. He was of Hispanic descent, but had blue eyes!! We have a grandson whose father is from Honduras and he too has the Hispanic look but his eyes are sort of a blue gray. I told the vendor that the blue eyes were not common to his culture and he explained that his grandparents were from Spain, (Castilian). He seemed very proud to share this information with me. This is also true of our grandson. It is truly a striking combination.
our youngest grandson as well as our youngest grandchild, Calton
The end of the Winter Texan season has arrived and a lot of the residents have left for their Northern homes. We will miss them throughout the summer, but will the enjoy the quietness of the summer months. The stores and roads will not be so busy either. We have year round folks here, so we will have a bit of company though.
Now we come to the one of the most famous women of the Bible, Bathsheba, whose name means daughter, the seventh daughter, or daughter of opulence. She was a woman whose beauty resulted in adultery and murder. She came from a God-fearing family, the daughter of Eliam, one of King David's gallant officers. She then became the wife of Uriah, the most loyal of David's men. I think you know how David saw Bathsheba bathing on a roof, coveted her, and finally had her husband killed in order to marry her. You can find the full story in 2 Samuel 11. God was displeased with David, and allowed his son with Bathsheba to die within a week of His birth. this incident with Bathsheba was the only blemish upon David's life. God forgave both of them, blessed them with another son, Solomon, and Bathsheba brought him up with godly diligence. After that, the Bible is fairly quiet about her. A lesson that we can learn from Bathsheba is that we can be assured of God's forgiveness. She used her mistake as a guide to better conduct.
Jesus identified Himself to claim His deity. "Jesus told them, "I am the Way and the truth and the Life", no one comes to the Father except through Me," John 14:6. Don't let your hearts be troubled. (John Hannity ends his nightly news broadcast with these words). Jesus told us that in this world we would have troubles. Jesus himself had a troubled heart. He had the sorrow of losing a loved one, Lazarus. He was troubled when He told Phillip and Andres that His hour had come. He was troubled when He revealed that His disciples would betray Him. It is ok to have a troubled heart. Even in trouble, take heart, for Jesus will overcome the world. We have to trust Jesus as the Son of God. We can be assured of this because He has prepared place for us (John 14:2)/. This world is the land of the dying that we are going to leave for the land of the living. There is a story of a lady with a terminal illness who was giving the undertaker instructions for her funeral. She asked to be buried with a fork in her hand. When asked why, she explained that after a church dinner and before the dessert, she was told to hang on to her fork, as the best is yet to come. She wanted to hang on to her fork and be ready for the best to come. God has promised to come for us. God has provided a way for us to get to Him - through His Son. Place your trust in Jesus as a way to the Father. Tell others about this. Live your life for Jesus.
This is Palm Sunday when Jesus was praised and welcomed as He rode into Jerusalem. Less than a week later, they demanded His crucifixion. Use this week to focus on the greatest event of all - the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.
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