Another Random Day In the Texas Hill Country

 

This picture was taken in February 2013. :-)
Oxalis, also called wood sorrel.

Ah, February.  Here in Central Texas it is basically our early spring.  We can have cold weather and frost clear into April, but we usually start to have some lovely balmy days in February.  This week we’re having several day in the 70s and low 80s (F)!  (21-26C)  But, the nights are still chilly, which makes for better sleeping, in my opinion.  Of course, if the weather stays too nice for too long things may start flowering and leafing out, which means they’re more likely to be frosted or frozen off later, so it can be a bit of a worry too!

Today I like the…
Smell of… the heater running. (Later it will be almost too warm to open the house, probably!)
Sound of… the cat jingling her collar as she has her morning bath.
Taste of… grape jelly.
Sight of… SUNSHINE!
Feel of… already having a good start on my day.

Good Things about Today:

My husband has a job.  The sun is shining.  I already communicated with one of my friends.  My headache is minimal.  Most of all, God is still Faithful!

Things Already Accomplished Today:

Light therapy, breakfast and Bible reading done.  Dishes loaded into the dishwasher.  Laundry started.  Cat hugged – regardless of her feelings about that. :-)  One blog post already done and another in progress.

Things that Need to Be Done – Hopefully Today:

Maybe some yard work before it warms up too much.  (Will depend on allergy levels!)  Finish washing the dining room window.  Transcribing some research.  Some ironing and maybe working on the sewing room clean up as well.  It sounds like a lot to me, but taking small bites of each helps me get more done over the long haul, and mixing things up between active and sitting projects and taking breaks throughout the day helps.

Random Photo from My World:

Two of our mixed breed roosters.

Quote for Today:

It's when you're safe at home that you wish you were having an adventure. When you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.    -- Unknown

(An excellent reminder for me today as I’ve been feeling a little cramped by the monotony of life recently.  Adventure isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!!)

Verse for Today:

Two sections stood out to me today in Matthew 20.

Matthew 20:15   Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

Sometimes it is a challenge to accept that God has the right to do good things for other Christians when He is doing something different for us.  Are we going to resent His goodness to another because we feel like we’re being cheated or treated unfairly?  It’s a sobering thought.  As His servants, He has the right to deal with each one of us as He sees fit, not as we see fit.  If God had to act on our terms what kind of a God would He be?  Not the wise and kind one that He is!  Just because it doesn’t feel good to us at the moment does not give us the right to complain about His treatment of us and/or be jealous of others.

Matthew 20:25-28  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

There is so much in this short passage!

First off, did you see that it’s normal for the Gentiles to exercise dominion and authority over each other?  What a waste of the time God has given us to fret and thrash around about how bad our present governments are and how they are taking away our rights, invading our privacy, or doing this or that.  Jesus said that is normal.  And notice He mentioned both princes and those who are “great”.  That pretty much covers any form of government to which you might attach your hopes.  Sorry, but we can’t escape it.

Secondly, Jesus said it was not supposed to be that way among us – His followers.  Well, that shoots a big, big hole in the idea that any form of human government should be in the church – not democracy, not republicanism, not tribalism, not monarchy, not militarism, nor any other form of human rule.  In the body of Christ we are not to be exercising authority or dominion over each other like the unsaved do.  Yes, I know there are certain orders set up in the N.T. for family and church life, but they have to be interpreted in light of this as well. 

The point is, we’re called to serve and to minister!  Splitting churches or families with democracy, tribalism, castes or any other form of man-made government or society is not ministering to each other as Jesus Christ did.  His example of service and ministry was sacrificial – not dominion seeking, power seeking, nor glory seeking in the human sense.  We need to beware ourselves, but also we need to consider those in the church realm who demand the right to take dominion and authority over others in this context.  Is that the mind of Christ?  Not according to what He said in Matthew 20.

Colossians 3:12-14  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.