November 8th, 2013
Hey, everyone!
Hope you're having an awesome day! Speaking of awesome, it is going to be awesome outside today! Before we go any farther, let's just get that weather forecast out of the way…Take it away, Todd Howell!
"Thanks, Tom! We're in for an AB day today! That means 'Absolutely Beautiful' with highs topping out at 55 and abundant sun all day. Winds should be light at about 5 mph. Back to you, brother!"
Thanks, Todd!
Before we get to the Triple C announcements…
Have you ever had one of those mornings when a Scripture you're reading just jumps off the page and smacks you right in the face? I've been reading this Bible I have, called the "One Year Bible". Every day of the year there is a piece from the Old Testament, a slice from the New Testament, and a serving of Psalms, so that in one year you read all of it…And since you get some from all over the Bible everyday, if the Old Testament part is a little gritty, maybe the New Testament serving will be exactly what you needed for the day. But sometimes it's surprising how the Old Testament can really hit you right between the eyes!
Or right above one of them…
I was trying to get all of our firewood chopped and stacked before Tina gets home (she loves to watch the glow, sitting in front of our fireplace! And I love to watch her sitting there! Makes me glow! Won't be long now!) Anyhooooo…as I was saying…(What was I saying?… Oh yeah…Sorry! Got a little distracted…
Back to the firewood…I was chopping this log and it flew into two pieces that went flying thru the air and smacked me in the face! Both pieces! One right above the left eye and one right above the right! Both were swelling and filling with tears, and one was bleeding! I think I might have yelled something. (It might have been, "Tinaaaaa! Please coooome hooooome!) I went in to check that I didn't need stitches, put a bandaid on it and sighed.
Next morning, headachy and sore, I plopped in my chair, coffee in hand, and opened to the place I left off…"Let's see…September 22…(BTW, I'm a little behind in the calendar. I think I do it on purpose 'cause I can't take the pressure of staying up with the date!)…Ecclesiates 10:9 says, "Whovever splits logs can be endangered by them!"
Talk about a Scripture smacking you in the face!
Same thing happened a few mornings later (but much less painfully!)…
We had been waiting forever for Emily to hear that two-year old Desi, whom she and Graham have adopted along with his new two-year old brother Quincy, finally was granted his passport from the government of Ghana so they could go to the next step and get visas from the US Embassy in Accra. This has taken FOREVER (almost) and they were stuck until this passport was ready. Sometimes these things have taken weeks and weeks. Emi had to postpone their appointment at the Embassy for two Tuesdays ago (Oct 29) because they hadn't received this passport yet. I was asking God everyday for this. So last Friday, Nov 1…
…coffee in hand, in my chair, opening the One Year Bible to the date for that day, Sept. 27 (I know it's confusing)…Isaiah 6…Isaiah heard angels praising our Lord around His throne, calling "Holy, holy, holy…". Then in chapter seven, God encouraged a king in a trying situation to trust Him by asking for a sign from Him.
"A sign? A little something that could encourage me to trust You while I wait for what we need from You? Can I? Would You? I could use one!"
Suddenly on my computer came a praise song…"And we cry, 'Holy, holy, holy!' We cry, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!' "
I just read that! Is that my sign?!
Chill bumps.
I continued…
You also get a portion from the Psalms every day. That same morning it was Psalm 54…"O God! Listen to the words of my mouth!"
"Lord, You put that in there! 'Listen to the words of my mouth!' I have some! Listen to them! Will you give us that passport today? Bam! I said it! Desi's passport…today…Friday November 1…You said I could ask with my words! And as far as a sign goes, it would rock! It would help me, I promise!"
Tina, Emi, Desi and Quincy, and the rest of the folks in Ghana are four hours ahead of us. By 4:00 in the afternoon (8:00 pm their time) I hadn't heard anything. "This could take weeks!" I thought. "Weeks more!"
About 5:15 I was driving down Mahoney Rd when I got a text from Graham…
"got it!"