“The Anchor”… the “hub” of all sanity

Who is yours?

Do you recognize it at such?

Are you grateful for it?

This past month, I have realized a friend of mine is the anchor in the midst of all chaos in her household.

She has weathered the storms of home renovation, ill husband, healing father, displaced sister-in-law, anxiety riddled daughter, distant son, and uninformed mother of the bride to be.

She has accepted what she has been handed, gingerly stepping thru the minefield of chaos with grace.

She has offered up her pain and shouldered her cross for her family’s wellbeing at the sacrifice of her own believing, no knowing it is for her belief in Christ that keeps her strong, willing, and able to continue on.

11.13.2023

33⁰F clear WNW@10mph SR0654 SS1639

Morning Offering given

Village waking

No coffee this week. I’m doing a caffeine free week challenge. May God have mercy on those around me.

Week 5, period 4-Intermittent Fasting – down 8.6 #, clothes fitting looser, still struggling with the water intake, still haven’t measured, still not active enough. Less joint pain.

Cpap finished night 4, another morning headache, ridiculously dry mouth & nose (even with humidity turned up), dry cough has started. Sleeping on back is an issue. I am a side sleeper, which messes with the seal on the mask. Also, have an open mouth. They want me to use a chin strap… I will not! The full mask is irritating enough. 😒

Today’s devotion, “the angel & the shepards” St. Luke 2:8-12. Help me, my God, to make a good meditation, and to consecrate to thee all my thoughts and resolutions. Jesus wishes to be mySavior and Redeemer. He took upon himself my weak nature. He knows, in spite of my good intentions, my weakness is yielding at the first difficulty.

The day will be a steady one.

Know you are prayed for.

11.12.2023

41⁰F cloudy SSW@16mph SR0653 SS1640

Morning Offering given

Village sleeps

The man sleeps

Coffee good

New Daily Devotion “CRIB TO CROSS” meditations on the life of Christ. Angelus Press 2019. Translated from the French “De la crèche au calvaire” Messieurs Poussielque Freres Paris 1884 The Crib St. Luke 2:7. Help me, O my God, to keep my thoughts for a few moments from wandering so that I may remain recollected in Thy presence and solely intent on Thee.

Today, my brother Jeff would have turned 66. May he rest in peace.

MV Delhi musical today at 2pm. Looking forward to it.

Bible Study lesson on the Torah needs to be completed.

My plants need attention.

The boy got a dog. “CHOPPER”, some kind of hound.

Can we discuss the ugly face of alcoholism without giving offense? Without pointing fingers? Without taking offense?

. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Know you are prayed for.

11.08.2023

40⁰F cloudy ENE@8mph SR0647 SS1644

Morning Offering given

Village waking, traffic moving

Coffee good… what is it about that first cup?

The man still sleeps

Office coming along nicely. Perhaps move in is closer.

Intermittent Fasting-still going fine. I need to walk more. Water consumption is improving.

Bible Study was really good last evening. We talked about the Golden Calf. Discussion was lively. H & C were missed.

I love standard time! My sleep has returned to only 2 wake ups during the night. I wish dst would never return.

1st Wenesday Devotion… https://www.bluearmy.com/devotion-to-st-joseph-obtains-more-than-we-can-ask/#:~:text=The%20devotion%20ideally%20involves%20attending,the%20salvation%20of%20the%20dying.

I love the fall season as well. Shorter days and being home evenings with family. The Fallow (winter Dec 21-Mar 19) season is almost on us. This is nature’s time to rest, slow down, and repair. We humans should do the same. Make this time all about replenishing.

Today should be another easy day. Have 4 must does, and one work on a little.

News of interest… https://dps.iowa.gov/dci-assists-homicide-investigation-and-officer-involved-shooting

Know you are prayed for.

10.30.2023

24⁰F clear WNW@10mph SR0736 SS1756

Morning Offering given

Village Chilly

Coffee good

Monday has arrived. We’re on the cusp of a new month. DST is in its last week (thank goodness). Thanksgiving is 24 days into the future. The year is close to ending 62 more days. If you had goals for 2023, now is the time to look them over to see if you will reach them or reassess them. The big question… did you get to know Jesus better?

Grateful/thankful list. Make one.

Get your Thanksgiving cards written and sent.

Begin writing your Christmas letter. Purchase Madonna stamps. Find the perfect Christmas card. One that talks about Christ. One that says Merry Christmas. Forget the toys, snowmen, or words like seasons or holidays. Make this year about Jesus. His birth. His gift. Be simple and practical in gift selection.

Today’s ponder… from Bacci

“Will humility & understanding help me solve the problems I encounter today?

It is useless and harmful to fly into a passion and to brood over our rights and other people’s wrongs.”

Know you are prayed for.

10.28.2023

32⁰F cloudy NNW@7mph. SR0733 SS1759

Morning Offering given

Village sleeps

Coffee good

Happy birthday, Jeannette! Hope your day is awesome!

30% chance of snow this afternoon.

Pondering Bacci page 432… “It is useless to kneel before the altar, to assist at sacred rites,and to recite vocal prayers, if all the time our minds are elsewhere and we are lacking in the love of God. Spiritual adoration and prayer are more important than the bowed head and the bended knee.”

Began week 3 of intermittent fasting. I feel good. More alert. Less joint pain. Small things like the fit of a shirt sleeve feel looser. Still working on water intake and more walking.

Office looking good. Door is going to fit. I’m excited about this.

Daylight saving ends next week. Get your blue postcard into your rep and Senator requesting they stop implementing dst and continue permanently the use of standard time.

Know you are prayed for.

10.27.2023

63⁰F cloudy SW@7mph SR 0732 SS1801

Morning Offering given

Village sleeps

Coffee good

Off to IA to take Josh home. Dr. Appt 1345

Intermittent Fast wk 2 complete. Dwn a total of 5.6#. Need to increase walking.

Heat to knee did wonders.

Today’s ponder…

Outward Appearances

God is interested in your soul, not your surface. Examine yourself, get rid of the false and haughty. Resolve to correct it.

Know you are prayed for.

10.23.2023

41⁰F cloudy SSE@13mph SR0727 SS1807

Morning Offering given

Village quiet

Coffee good

Intermittent Fast Day #11. Feels like my body is humming (vibrating). My breath is horrid. Hmmm, it’s working. Tomorrow, I weigh and measure. Kudos to my friend AM for bringing this plan to my attention.

Made it home yesterday to find the guys winterizing the front porch. The fountain put away for winter. The pre electrical work completed in the office.

It is good to be home. It was good to be north and spend time with family.

Back to normal today with a busy Monday ahead of me.

“ As we also forgive our debtors”

Is today’s meditation. In a nutshell, forgive, sincerely forgive from the heart, or Jesus will not forgive you. Many scoff at this thought because after all I took Jesus as my Savior. I am saved, heaven bound… it’s a given.

It is not a given.

Nope, it is not. Look what Jesus did while hanging on the cross.

Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them they know not what they do.”

Again, he instructs…

Matthew 5:23-24

“If thou art offering thy gift at the altar and thou remember that thy brother has anything against thee, leave thy gift before the altar and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”

Convicted once again by the words of Christ. Looks like I have some work to do.

Know you are prayed for.

10.18.2023

44⁰F S@13mph SR0720 SS1815

Morning Offering given

Village quiet

Coffee good

The man sleeps

Day #6 Intermittent Fasting… continue to work on drinking more water and increase walking. Knee pain continues to be an issue. Not at all impressed with the recipes on this program nor the new age words they are using to coach or the assumption everyone struggles to fast. But there are some good things as well. No results as yet, but I am told that’s normal.

Another very interesting Bible Study class. No class next week.

DS#2 arrived yesterday. He mowed the lawn and gathered all the lawn furniture. It is now put away for the season. It’s so nice to have the help to get it done.

No word from friend HenryLinda after their move. A week today since they left.

Need to get 2 Hibiscus in the ground and 4 rose bushes moved. St. Francis should come in for the winter. Horseradish should be dug.

Need to have: hearing aides checked and updated, November cards ready, pick up paint for the office, trim paint for the house, car washed/vacuumed, and go to confession

K… ck with A for your stuff.

The Church struggles today. The parishioners struggle. It is hard to believe (at times) there is any interest in the parishioners other than the gaining of their $$. When is the last time your minister knocked on your door, called you on the phone, or even sent a txt? When was the last time you did this to them? What used to be set in stone isn’t any longer. At times, it seems to be the thought that those who continue as they were taught are considered ridged and judgemental. While reading Exodus, when Moses went up on Mt Sinai for 40 days and nights, he returned to find the people doing their own thing. I was thinking if that was today… someone would have canceled Moses and replaced him with someone less demanding. Someone who wouldn’t return to the mountain to get the 2nd copy of the commandments.

Know you are prayed for.

10.14.2023

46⁰F NNE@13mph SR0715 SS1821

Morning Offering given

Village wet and grateful for rain

Coffee good

The man sleeps

New furnace is quiet something called two stages, which keeps fan blowing. All I know is it is comfortable in here.

Making a quick trip to IA this morning and back.

Looking forward to having supper with the boy at 5 tonight… New Mexican place in Sparta.

Yesterday, I started intermittent fasting with the Body Fast app. I think this might help me get serious and lose some weight… 100# to be exact. Now to get those measurements done.

Scripture… 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 10:31, 3:16-17, 12:27, 15:44; Roman’s 12:1-2; 1 Tim 4:8, 5:23, Matt 6:22-23; Phillipians 1:20; Psalm 100:3; Roman’s 12:4; Genesis 35:11-12; and more. https://www.openbible.info/topics/our_bodies_being_temples

Pulled Made to Crave off the bookshelf. Time to read it again.

Question… can acedia be the issue?

Know you are prayed for.