Gems from Proverbs

A group of our UPC women are going through a study on the book of Proverbs.

'Proverbs: The Way of Wisdom' is one of the Living Word Bible Studies. The author is Kathleen Buswell Nielson whose husband, Niel Nielson, is the president of Covenant College. The study is inductive, and the emphasis is solidly reformed and orthodox. Last night, among other things, we studied some passages that tell us what God is like and also what man is like. It's good stuff, so I thought from time to time, I might share some of the points that have been meaningful to me.

One point that stood out in particular speaks to me in the midst of this current political season. (Some time I might write more about all that...)

Many Christians think/feel/believe that if only the 'right' man is elected (and this goes for all party affiliations) our national troubles will be ended and our 'mourning' will be turned to 'dancing'. And on the other hand, that if the 'wrong' man is elected, the apocalypse will be ushered in the day after he takes the oath of office.

Proverbs 21:1 tells us that "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;he turns it wherever he will. A note from the Geneva Study Bible explains: 'Though kings seem to have all things at commandment, they are not able to bring their own purposes to pass unless God has appointed.'

I don't know about you, but this brings me tremendous comfort - no matter who the 'king' happens to be, his heart is in the hand of our Almighty and Sovereign God, who divinely appoints all things!

Getting Back to It

I have a dilemma when it comes to blogging...it has to do with self-disclosure. To me, writing a blog post becomes intensely personal. I pour my heart and soul into every post...and I may be overestimating my visitors , but I assume they preceive the real me as they read. This may or may not be a good thing. The other day a Facebook friend commented about feeling you already know someone after reading their blog. I agree, completely...putting my feelings out in cyberspace exposes me to the whole world. Well, maybe that's the point of blogging, eh?

So, that's been my problem and why I don't post more often. But, on the other hand, lately I've been thinking I have things to say...thoughts and feelings that crave expression...why not this medium?

Eons ago, when I was still in my 40's, I was dealing with the mental and physical decline of both my parents. As I pondered the issues of aging parents, I began to realize that I, myself, was (and am) an aging parent. And I began to feel sad that someday my children would probably have forgotten the younger, more vital, 'with-it' Mom...and the old, infirm, impaired version would crowd out all the better memories of ME in their minds. So, that's another reason to put down some cogent thoughts now...I can read my posts and 'remember' a time when I could still 'think' and 'reason' and my kids and grandkids can read it too, and recall that their mother/grandma hasn't always been so O-L-D and decrepit!

So, if you read my posts, you might say to yourself, 'Who does this old bird think she is?' or, you might like what I have to say. If you do, forgive me for trying to leave some written legacy of my diminishing intellect, and keep reading!

Grandpa's Helper

Almost Home!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers these past, LONG, three months in the dust-bowl! After today's re-inspection, we have been given the green light to move into our new apartment. Providentially, we got a call that our new furniture will arrive at the local Ashley store tomorrow and will be delivered to us on Saturday! Now when you all come to visit we can offer you a seat! Since we now have a guest room, we can offer you travelers a bed, too!

A second inspection for the storage units themselves should happen tomorrow...Lord willing, our dsl line will be installed too....then we can do business...It's an exciting time in the NM Lopez family, but not without a bit of stress. With everything happening at once, we appreciate your continued prayers that the moving/grand-opening will go smoothly, 'decently' and 'in order'.

Visit From an Old Friend

Not much progress and we are not moved in or open for business...we do have a cool new ride though. Robert VanTol even came all the way from California to check us out. He spent the night with the Heerema fam. We all enjoyed a nice meal at a local restaurant and then the grand tour of Discount Storage. The next pic shows what he got for his trouble - a gaping head wound sustained when he failed to clear the jagged, pointy edge of the cart's shade roof. I anticipate a lawsuit! He was a good sport, but that's real blood folks!

Lookin' For a Home

The apartment where we will live - some day - soon - we hope. Hooray that we passed today's Fire Safety inspection. The owner called for the 'final' inspection for tomorrow...Lord willing we could possibly move in this weekend!

The 'Already' and the 'Not Yet': Final Approach

Since March when we were hired, the move-in date has continued to extended to the future. Now, when asked, my standard answer is: TWO MORE WEEKS. We might actually make it this time. The office/residence building is looking good and the sign lettering on the 'fake' front wall is completed. The owner brought in 'literally' TONS of gravel to make the front 'dirt' look more presentable and less like a used car lot. It's all about 'curb appeal'! The landscaping is mostly finished and although we lost some of the shrubs in June's HOT spell, you can see we have flowers! Hopefully, phones/internet will be installed tomorrow.

Next time: Apartment Update!