2nd Prayer Walk!

Mom was hyper... and very alert... She was up early and trying to push the chairs out of the way so that she can walk around. Three times, she did this. Each time I tried to set the chairs back in place, and she would be pushing them out of the way to walk around the house! When she talked to Annie, she was very talkative. And at church, she wanted to wonder around and was counting the lights and getting up to look out the windows.

It was our second prayer walk, so it worked out well. Alan pushed her out and that was very interesting for her!

Psalm 22:27 and John 15:16-17 were the verses I shared and the focus was the family unit.

I asked dinner boxes to be ordered, so people took those home.

One bit of bad news was that our sweet tenants had put down a large sum to buy a house, only to find out that the seller and the agent had lied about a few things and would not allow them to break the contract. If they do decide to break the contract, they'd lose 100,000NT$ or more. They are now having to seek the advice of a lawyer. I find that Taiwan is becoming more and more 'sue happy'. People are not so willing to be forgiving... This is very disturbing!

Daily Lovely Insight:
The hymn today was "Take Time to Be Holy". Every line of that hymn was so beautiful. Time time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in Him always, And feed on His Word.... Take time to be holy, The world rushes on; Much time spend in secret With Jesus alone... Take time to be holy, Let Him be thy guide, And run not before Him,Whatever bedtide;... Take time to be holy, Be calm in thy soul; Each thought and each motive Beneath His control;...

The words just refreshed, restored and helped to ready me for the day. We are fueled to live not by our feelings but by the filling of the Holy Spirit. And when we are hungry, we need to remember to feed on His word, not just on earthly nourishment!

I used to sing this hymn. And it's so sad that most churches don't sing these wonderful hymns anymore... Many churches are doing 'praise songs' that are often shallow and self-focused. Nothing about suffering or persecution... Only about blessings or good feelings... I think we need to return our focus on God and His truth, and not become lukewarm in our relationship with God. It would be wise to start by taking time to be holy... through obedience to the Word of God!

Seek Him First!

Kurtis Has Arrived Safely... And Other Things...

Yes, we got the message that Kurtis had arrived. The plane was actually early... I wonder how full that flight was...

Mom had her massage today. While she was there, I went to Costco to buy vitamin C, chewing gum and patches. I rode the bike back and then ran errands, including combining all our cell phone bills into one. Trying to save the earth!

And our usual is now taking the bus and walking back. I forced Mom to walk about 500 meters. She did very well.

I had made curry chicken with rice and broccoli. She had a great dinner and pineapple slices.

After she went to bed, I baked -- blueberry bread -- and checked my emails and helped a friend find the instruction manual for a dual function oven/steamer. That machine is amazing!

Abby had her last internship and went to the workout room. Isaiah was home all day... I cut his hair, too!

Tonight after Abby came back, we had our weekly family time!

Daily Lovely Insight:
Proverbs 16: 3, 9, 33



These verses just spoke to my heart about the sovereign almighty control of our God. Even when mountain shakes and turmoils abound, God is holding all things in His hands. I wrote to one sister that there are just too many weird things going on these days...

Seek Him First!

He's Off...

Yes, Kurtis is on his way back to the States...

It was a busy busy busy day...

We packed and got things ready... and then we went out to lunch together... with Abby.

It was an American style restaurant and then went for milk shakes afterwards.

Abby took him on her scooter for one last ride around and we were in the car by 4:30, heading to the Taoyuan International Airport. One of his bags was overweight, so we took out one pair of shoes and some of his notes. Praise the Lord as they didn't weigh his carry ons. Those were 17 kilos! This kid does not travel light!

We drove home and there was a lot of traffic. We didn't get home until 7:20, the same time that his flight supposedly took off. But Kurtis did line me, saying that it was slightly delayed!

I had a fast dinner and Abby and I were off. She was going for a massage and I went to see friends who just bought their first house. They are the couple who have been renting from us.

Abby and I got home and we went for a quick run... It wasn't raining and she's trying to run 30 minutes for the next 21 days!

Daily Lovely Insight:
The night when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss... that servant of the high priest, Malchus, who got his ear cut off... and Jesus touched it and healed it. How his life was changed that night? Did he see Jesus as his healer? Did he go home, contemplating, about his encounter with the Son of God? And the next day when he saw Jesus on that cross, what was he thinking? "This man is innocent. This man healed me. This man is the ... " and would tears have welled up in his eyes, realizing that he went to arrest a man who came and sought him, who hung on that cross for him? And for the rest of his life, whenever he touched that ear, he would be reminded of the event of that night. I think he would have become a follower of Jesus! These are the things I'm thinking about as I read that today!

Seek Him First!

Thunder Showers All Day...

The rain never stopped today... So, yes, I went for a run in the rain after finishing up tutoring.

Kurtis did not get any more notices for interviews... not yet. But he did apply for three more jobs and he got his last class! So, three classes... now, let's pray for three interviews... in order to get a solid (full-time) job!

I asked Kurtis to clean the ceiling fans as I can't reach them. And that was a big help. I also told him to go and get a haircut as it's only 100NT$ here (of course, he gave her a 100NT$ tip!). And he looked really great! After he came back, I did laundry as I wanted to get all of Kurtis stuff together for tomorrow.

I worked on completing my Bible study materials... and yes, the day went by way too fast!

Daily Lovely Insight:

Andrew Reed (1787-1862)
"I was born yesterday; I shall die tomorrow; I must not spend today in telling what I have done, but in doing what I may for Him who has done so much for me!" This man opened many asylums, hospitals, orphanages to help those who were less fortunate all for the glory of God...

Seek Him First!

Biggest Bill at Costco!

I dragged Alan to go with me to Costco. They had HP ink cartridges on sale... We ended up spending over 12,000NT$, which is 400US$. We bought three sets of cartridges and 12 bottles of fruit vinegar, plus ketchup, relish, meat... and the list goes on!  I had to buy milk and romaine lettuce... and then I saw croutons and Caesar salad dressing... these two items were not on my list as they are the 'splurge' items. Since Kurtis is here, I decided to get them!  I also splurged on roast beef slices and spinach frittatas...

After I got back, I had to rush off to my Soochow Bible study. Again, another great study... And I had baked banana bread. Next week: apple sauce bread!

I've been 'prodding' Kurtis and he got one interview notice... So, please pray for two more so that he knows it's God. I made a comment that Jesus did it. And he was sarcastic about that comment: "Oh Jesus helped me get the Chipotle interview?" I replied, "Of course... " Well... I thought, I did send you that link to apply for Chipotle... and I've sent him several others... It's amazing as I don't have tutoring this week, so I have time to look for him. I will keep you posted. He leaves on Friday. So, three job interviews and three classes before he leaves!

The evening went by just as fast... We had such a great dinner... Caesar salad, rice, broccoli, frittatas...

Daily Lovely Insight:

John 16:33

In Christ we have peace. In the world we will have tribulations. BUT, take heart, Jesus has overcome the world! What does this mean to me? What does this mean to you?  How is this lived out? what is the peace we have in Christ? What does it mean to "take heart"?
To start with "take heart" means to be courageous. Like God told Moses or Joshua or Gideon, BE COURAGEOUS! When we face tribulations, we are to be of good cheer, to take heart, to be courageous. How? Because we know Jesus has overcome. He has risen. He is forever our Intercessor. To have peace is to know that He is with us. Jesus has already told us that we will face tribulations. Expect them. But don't let them defeat you. I'm so grateful for that truth. How do I live out this truth? I'm still processing that question...

Seek Him First!

A Blessing in Disguise... I Hope...

It was a busy morning... I wanted to bake another loaf of banana bread plus put the meat in the crock pot for the meatloaf for Alan's dinner... and get all the ingredients ready for the tossed salad that I was bringing for our bible study.

I left at 10:03 and walked next door with two bags filled with stuff...

The study was on the betraying tongue... great discussion!

I got back and the rain started... but I had to get a few things done and trying to keep Kurtis focused. That's why I think it's a blessing for him to be here for the extra week... I encouraged/nagged (?) him to find three and apply for three. I also wanted him to register for the classes. He did register for two classes and Annie had suggested a water class. Because it's at a different college, he has to get 'things', which he says is too troublesome. I think that's something the Lord will have to work on ... In my opinion, when he faces difficulties, Kurtis tends to give up way too easily. In these past two days, he has applied to Chipotle, Trader Joe's, Costco, Postmasters, and one other... He can't get into the application process for In N Out or Albertson's. Hopefully, tomorrow he will find other job opportunities to apply for.

Abby was at school and spent this evening helping out being a score keeper.

Isaiah had basketball practice.

Alan had evening classes.

Kurtis had tutoring for 90 minutes.

I did go for a run in the afternoon... even though it rained, it was so muggy and humid. I was completely soaking wet from sweating...

I continued to work on my messages...

Daily Lovely Insight:
Isaac Watts was most disturbed with the "business as usual" Christianity. To him, "business as usual" Christians are those who grovel here below and are fond of earthly toys. He looked at Acts 2:2-4 and thought of the Holy Spirit as wind and as fire.

He wrote a hymn, asking for the fire of God to burn and awaken His people. Reading about him convicted me to ask for forgiveness. I don't want to live life enamored with the earthly toys and become complacent. I too want the Holy Spirit to keep me zealous in serving Him.

Seek Him First!

It Never Rained...

I was waiting for the rain so that it would cool down a bit before going out for a run...

It never rained...

I worked on my two talks... getting them finished... Maybe two more days!

Then I ran errands... buying veggies for the salad, paying Kurtis' last bill, checking at the cell phone place to see if all bills can be downloaded into my phone (No, it cannot be done!). I wanted to go buy some more fruit, but decided to go home as I wanted to cook and do the laundry. I checked Mom's bedding and washed her blanket. So that was two full loads...

Kurtis helped to walk the bike down and get the tires pumped. We now has two bikes working... he will take one more down this week!

I let Mom have a cup of noodles for dinner and some pineapples. Kurtis showed her pictures on his computer while I went for a run.

Isaiah had tutoring tonight.

Abby had to attend a lecture.

Alan came home. It was his last class with his seniors.

After I got back from my run, we watched a Netflix original about the Khmer Rouge. It was based on a true story... quite sad.

Daily Lovely Insight:

Jesus came from a lineage filled with lots of messy people.
Through chaos, He brings calm.
Through discord, He brings accord.
Through doubt, He brings dayspring.
Through suffering, He brings joy.
Through the darkness, he brings brilliance.
For Jesus is the truth, the way and the life...

Seek Him First!