Taking up a cross

(Click to enlarge) I carved this while recovering from the accident that put me in a coma. A real life changing moment. God, in His love, does whatever it takes to get our attention, like a father disciplining his children no matter how much they rebel and try to ignore Him.

3/11/10 Thursday
It’s a chilly morning. Our funds for help have dried up so I told the guys not to come in and work. Had planned on selling the truck for that but need a truck and trailer to finish my obligation to tear down that barn. I think I’ll put it up for sale anyway and then will have to either borrow or rent a trailer to finish the job with. This morning the brain is not working terribly well so typing is a struggle. There are many questions I have, questions who’s answers I might not like. These have to do with spiritual things mostly, that and peoples hearts. There are some whom I know take delight in every hardship we have, but I am learning to let God take care of that.

We went to a Christian concert last night at the church. Unfortunately I could not understand the words, it was kind of garbled by the sound system. When I mentioned that to Cherie she said “Good, I thought it was just me”. The second group came on and things turned into a loud banging rock thing. It caused Cherie to have chest pains and I was unsettled too so we left. Gone are the days of rock and roll for me. I’ve gone to hundreds of concerts but my spirit craves that which settles my soul anymore, that which is soothing and more gentle.

It’s just me for now and there’s lots of work to do so I must get out there and get on it. It will be good because I can pray as I work and need to. I haven’t been getting up and praying early like I was. Because we aren’t burning wood to heat the house right now it’s pretty cold every morning so crawling out from under those warm covers is more of a challenge. What a parable of Christian life that can be, how we tend to choose or find that which is comfortable and avoid that which is not convenient or provides even minor discomfort. Jesus said, in Luke 9:23, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me”. So I need to be less comfortable and more willing to do what I know I need to do.


The scriptures also say in 2 Timothy 4 .1. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:
2. preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching.
3. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings,
4. and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.
5. As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry.

I suppose that’s the scripture for the day. While I don’t have the guys here, whom with we always started the day out with a scripture and prayer, I need to do this anyway, on my own.

Have a good day folks, and think of God, who certainly thinks of you and knows your heart.
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This is an exceptionally rough morning. Having a major slowdown/petite seizure. Still pushing through best I can. Put for sale sign on the truck and parked it by the road. Look at other things I need to do and just get confused. Will pick a task and do it. There are plants we bought to plant. Some of them dried up so I watered them. It’s windy and cold this morning. The winds blew lots of sand into the protective barriers we built. Hope it won’t hurt the trees. Nothing is easy out here.