Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. — 1 Peter 5:8
Happy Hallowen!
Today we celebrated All Saints Day by remembering those who have gone before us.Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. — 2 Peter 1:2
Exciting for her, but sad for us.
We'll miss her in the choir.
And her friends at Ladle will miss her and the coffee she prepared each month.
Saturday we met at Stone Brewery to wish her bon voyage.
Rodney came in his shark outfit - his girls will be baby sharks!
We had a fun time together eating outside.
A beautiful night.
Wishing her God's peace as she moves on.
And hoping she can return and join us to sing for our Christmas concert.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. — Psalm 20:7
or in our governments,
even though they may be ordained by God.
Rather, we trust in the Name of the Lord.
We trust in His Son, Jesus.
And we worship our God and Father.
As we get ready to celebrate All Hallow's Eve and
All Saints Day, we remember those who have gone before.
Our family members and friends - those who knew Jesus and served as our role models.
Like them, we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. — Psalm 20:6
He redeems us through His Son, our Lord Jesus.
The Lord gives victory to those He anointed.
He answers us when we call to Him.
And He extends to us the victorious power of His right hand.
Saturday evening we had our friends Walley and Nicole join us for dinner.
Nicole just got a promotion from her work.
Very exciting for her!
And Walley is dealing with the stresses of teaching middle schoolers.
And the bigger stressors of dealing with coworkers and admin who don't understand all that his job entails and just how much his routines help his classes run smoothly.
We had a great time catching up.
God extends to us the power of His right hand.
He answers us when we call to Him.
May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. — Psalm 20:1
It was a beautiful morning, and we met some friendly people along the way.
We saw lots of ducks and some geese.
A fun morning to be outdoors.
And to thank God for His wonderful creation.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. — Psalm 20:7
The choir was joined by East Lake High School chorale - very talented young singers.
Our orchestra sounded great.
It was a lot of work on the part of our director, Rodney, and our orchestra conductor, Judith.
But everyone really enjoyed it.
And money was raised for our Street Corner Care ministry.
Our friend Bob Plimpton came, too.
He was very impressed.
He only wished he could have played the organ with us for God Bless America.
Our friend Shirley sang with us at the church service this morning and then went in for a CT Scan to try to find out why she has a large lump on her neck.
We are praying for wisdom for her doctors.
You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. – 2 Thessalonians 1:5
As a child of Jesus, I am also a child of the day.
We do not belong to the night.
And we don't belong to the darkness.
We belong instead to the Light of the World, our Savior Jesus.
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders. — 1 Thessalonians 4:11
We'll be celebrating her birthday.
Last time she took Abby to the beach, she mentioned that she didn't have a beach chair.
Abby wished she had thought to bring chairs for them to use.
But that gave her a great idea for a birthday gift.
Sure enough, Costco has beach chairs available online.
We haven't seen them in the stores for several months.
The beach reminds me of living a quiet life, enjoying the ocean, the waves, floating on the water, and drying off in the sun.
Lord, help me to win the respect of outsiders.
Let my every act glorify You.
And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more. — I Thessalonians 4:11
And to continue to do so more and more.
Tonight I sang with our San Diego Street Choir.
We praised God together and worshiped Him through song.
Our orchestra accompanied the choir.
The choristers were overwhelmed with blessings from the music.
They were so appreciative to have three of us there from our choir.
Sunday we'll have even more.
God urges us to love others more and more.
Help me, Lord, to do just that.
Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. — 1 Thessalonians 4: 9
We love, because He first loved us.
For love comes from God, who is perfect.
We have been taught by God.
He has taught us how to love each other.
But it's easy for us to forget and treat each other badly.
When we walk in the Light as He is in the Light, we are more apt to follow His will.
And to love each other with the love of God.
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. — 1 Thessalonians 4:7
He did not call us to be impure.
But our human nature drags us toward impurity.
Which is just one more reason why we need to immerse ourselves in God's Word.
And in a life of prayer.
And a life connected with the Holy Spirit.
God calls us to live a holy life.
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. — I Thessalonians 3:13
Helping me to read His Word and pray.
Helping me to become blameless and holy.
More like Him each day.
So that when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones,
I may enter the presence of God the Father.
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. — 1 Thessalonians 3:12
Where I used to hate, let me love.
May my love overflow for others and for everyone.
Just as Paul's love overflowed for the people in Thessalonica.
Just as the love of Jesus overflows for me.
Here's a picture of our choir pool party in August.
My friend Lorraine hosted us at her home, and it was a beautiful day.
Kirk and Ron threw horseshoes, we swam and enjoyed good food together.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. — Psalm 23: 3-4
Kirk took these flowers to one of our friends who is recovering with a fractured pelvis and broken ribs from her fall.
My coworker's stepsister lost her dad.
Tragedy all around us.
But God is good.
He carries us through the dark valleys.
And that journey is part of His purpose for our lives.
I don't grow in Him unless I travel that path.
And He has much to teach me along the way.
Guide and direct me, Lord.
Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. — Proverbs 19:20
I'm apt to ignore it.
But God asks me to listen to advice.
To pay attention to it and to accept discipline.
Something I often try to avoid.
But God tells me if I accept discipline I will be counted as wise.
Go figure.
God's discipline will help to prune me into the person He intends for me to be.
Pruning can be painful.
But once the deadwood is trimmed away, new life has the opportunity to grow in me.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. — Matthew 6:33
But God asks us to seek first His kingdom.
Jesus is the way to righteousness.
He showers us with blessings as we grow in Him.
Last night we saw the opening of No Time to Die.
It wasn't our favorite, but Abby and I really liked it.
Kirk, not so much.
But he looked great next to Daniel Craig.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? — Matthew 6:30
He wants me to trust Him.
And He is ready to prune me into the person He created me to be.
In perfect communion with Him.
But I wander far afield.
I don't stay on His path.
It must be frustrating for Him to see me all over the place.
Especially when His plan is ideal for me.
But I am one of little faith.
I stumble around and finally crawl back to Him.
But only after trying things my own way.
I'm stubborn and obstinate, just like Jonah.
Thank You, Lord, for caring for me, even so.
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. — Matthew 6:28-29
Kirk got me a gorgeous orchid.
And we had a chocolate lava cake for dessert.
Yum!
We are blessed beyond measure.
God has taken care of us.
We have no need to worry.
And even when times are stressful, God has taken our hands and led us on.
Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? — Matthew 6:26-27
Hard to believe it's been so long — the years have flown by.
We'll celebrate at one of our favorite restaurants — Antica Trattoria.
God tells us we are much more valuable than birds or flowers.
But we don't always treat each other that way.
Even so, we have had a wonderful. marriage.
And we are blessed with our daughter.
We can't add a single minute or hour to our lives by worrying.
But that doesn't stop us from doing it anyway.
Help us to trust in You, Lord, and to stop worrying.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. — Matthew 6:26
They don't even plant or harvest it.
They don't worry about what's coming the next day or week.
But I tend to be selfish with what I have.
Storing up treasures on earth rather than spending time with God and His Word.
God cares for the birds.
How much more will He care for me.
And He does.
Faithfully.
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? — Matthew 6:25
What a surprise after an 81 degree morning in San Diego.
Abby and I skipped our swim date since it was lightning frequently at our house and on my way home from work.
It's still raining several hours later.
This is probably the most rain we've gotten all year.
We didn't even have a chance to bring in our Plumeria plants.
Hopefully they'll survive the weather.
God tells us not to worry.
In fact, He commands it.
One of my coworkers had heart palpitations two weeks ago.
His cardiologist said his heart was fine, but it might have due to stress.
He had given up caffeinated coffee, but was told he could have 2-3 cups per day.
That was wonderful news.
But finding ways to destress will now be the challenge.
God gives us those coping skills in His Word.
Thank You, Lord!
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. — Matthew 6:20
Our treasure is with the Lord.
Instead, He goes to prepare a place for us.
And that's where our treasure lies.
Not anywhere here on earth.
Even though it's tempting to trust in earthly things.
God points us in the direction He wants us to go.
Guide me, today, Lord.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. — Matthew 6:20
Tonight I had some friends over for dinner to say goodbye to a friend who is moving to Texas.
She sold her home here in San Diego in just two days.
This week she'll pack up and move to Tyler, Texas.
If she decides to stay, the cost of living will be quite a bit less than it is here.
But we will miss her on our Saturday morning hikes.
She will be back in a few months to visit.
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. — Matthew 6:6
Only a few trees are changing color.
Things are still very green.
Oktoberfest begins tonight in La Mesa.
That's a really fun event, but we're not sure we want to be around all those people this year.
So we'll celebrate at home this year.
With tacos!
