Home Sweet Home

I love being home and not working!  I absolutely love being home and not working!  It is such a relief after 3 1/2 years of dragging myself out of bed, going to a place and sorting out everybody else's mess and then coming home and haphazardly cleaning up my own!  I feel fresher, more alive, more restful and at ease and I enjoy life more.  No more do I feel chained to a clock and a schedule.  No more do I see the many things needed doing around home and think, "oh well, someday!"  Now I can tackle it with gusto!  It feels good.  I don't know for how long I will have this luxury but you can bet I am going to enjoy it to the max!

No Fanfare Just Good-Bye

Wednesday was my last day at work.  After 3 1/2 years at the same company I gave my notice and quietly slipped away into the sunset.  No fanfare - just goodbye!  It's amazing how you spend many hours in the workplace and have hardly touched lives!  It was just "work" after all.  I did by best, gave my all, with nothing much to show for it except an excellent reference and a hearty, "thanks for all your work," and "you've got a job anytime you want!"   What was the overall impression that I have made or left there?  That I was a good worker?  That I cared for the people?  Certainly that, but not much more.  They weren't interested in me as a person and they hardly asked any questions about my life or love for the Lord, though they certainly knew about that.  This bears reflection.  I think that in the end, its not about what a great job you do, but what kind of an impact have you made on others lives.  The statement, "you reap what you sow," comes to mind.  How much did I pray for my colleagues?  How much did I really bring them before the Throne?  What was my goal in working?  Was it just to make money?  Did I have an effect on the people around me.  Yes, I think I did have an effect, but not nearly enough and not for eternity.  That is sad and bears reflecting upon.

We must remember that as Christians we give account for our lives.  What will the Lord ask me about my 3 1/2 years at Barnhart, Inc?  Everything we do must be for the Kingdom of God, not our own little kingdom.  What is our purpose on this earth?  God help me and all of us to be consistent in serving Him throughout all of our days here.  In the end we will want to hear that good word from the Lord, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." 

How are we found by Him?

I was reading the scripture this week in 2 Peter 3:14 - "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless."  I know the context of what Peter is writing is speaking about the coming of the Lord in the last days.  However, I was thinking more along the lines of meeting with the Lord.  How is it that He finds us?  Are we in peace?  At rest deep down in our souls?  Is there agitation, irritation, or frustration?  John also says in his epistle, "He who says He abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked."  Jesus walked in peace, lived in rest, and all that ever came out of Jesus was life; abundant, over flowing, refreshing, life giving.  We ought to walk as Jesus walked.  We cannot do that unless we abide in Him.  Peter says we are to be without spot - meaning clean with no sin staining our inward souls.  Nothing of sin to smear our spirit.  Our spirit reflects our soul.  That which is inward passes outward through our spirit to others.  If we are abiding in God - the peace and life of God passes out of us to others.  If we are agitated, frustrated or irritated in anyway and not at perfect peace, that also passes out of our soul into our spirit and effects others.  

God expects us to be at rest deep down within.  He has made every provision for us to be without spot and blameless.   There really is no excuse for anything else.  We must be diligent to be found by Him in peace.  I used to think that God understood when I was not at peace - you know He understands us and accepts us, and that is true.  But He does not expect us to remain in that place of unrest.  "If we have sinned, we have an advocate with Jesus Christ the righteous".  There is forgiveness and cleansing but we must never abide in unrest.  We must be diligent to be at rest to live unto God in all things and not unto ourselves.  

My other thought is when we meet together as a body of Christ He is there in the midst.   Sometimes we do not feel His presence and think He has not come.  But He comes to every meeting where there are two or three gathered in His name.  How is it that He finds us when He comes?  Know for sure that He comes, how is it that He finds us?  Are we in tune to Him?  Are our thoughts elsewhere?  Our heart, is it near to Jesus?  Be diligent!  In other words, LABOR to enter into REST!  

Florida Trip

We spent an afternoon at Vicki's place and had a cookout!

This is Mama and Papa Bear's chair and Vicki is too small for it!

This is Mom's new car!  You can see Vicki's legs won't fit in it.  Imagine driving around Florida in this!  Mom is getting very bold in her old age!

Last week I spent with my Mom in Florida.   We had a great time.  Florida weather was stupendous - NO HUMIDITY!!  Yes, it truly was beautiful - sunny, warm and balmy.  I arrived the day after a hurricane had blown through and it was just gorgeous.

So, you can see some pictures above of my trip.  I especially like the picture of Mom's new car!  What do you think?  Can you imagine driving around Florida in that?  What do you do when it rains?

Here is a picture of Vicki's husband, Shawn.  He is an engineer and jack of all trades.  He also knows how to cook a good bratwurst!  Vicki even had sauerkraut...yummm!  I went to Vicki & Shawn's church one night and enjoyed a good message on the Family.  Vicki is very involved in her church with their Living Free program where she is a social worker for the ladies getting off drugs or alcohol.  She loves it there.

Mom and I drove to a town called, "Ava Maria".  This town was about 1 1/2 hours from Ft. Myers in the middle of nowhere.  The man who made his fortune on Dominoes Pizza built the entire town for the Catholic's with a University and a Cathedral.  The reason was that when he was a kid and orphaned the Catholic Church looked after him and one nun in particular helped him to realise he could be anything he wanted to be.  He donated the entire place to her for her inspiration!  It was a beautiful town though very scare on people!!!

We spent an afternoon at Sanibel Island and had lunch and walked around the island called Captiva.  You can see below the beautiful water and sand.  The water temp was in the 80's.

Here we are enjoying the weather!  I got a very good sunburn that day!

Innovative Job

Three Gorgeous Babes

The picture with the boat was quite interesting!  This man was making his money going up and down the beach selling cold drinks, hot dogs, ice cream to the people on the beach.  He would just pull up to the shore and people would gather round with their money!  I thought this was very innovative considering the unemployment rate in Florida!

If you are going to get sick - the best place to get sick is in Ft. Myers.  Take a look at their hospital below!  

This is the way it looks as you walk in the glass doors!

Hospital Lobby - selling popcorn on the left

 They even had someone playing the piano!

 Check out these glass elevators

Look at that Classy Lady!

So that was my trip to Florida.  It was lovely and wonderful to spend time with Mom and Vicki. 

The Rat Attack

"All creatures great and small the Lord God made them all."   But why, rats?  Still, I am not a happy camper as these furry little creatures have set up their home in my attic!  Yes, we've heard them on and off scurrying about with their little toenails clipping and scratching on the ceilings as they scamper on by.  One day I heard definite biting!  I am told that rats teeth continually grow and so if they don't gnaw at things they will die of suffocation!   Yesterday morning as I was hurriedly trying to get ready for work I heard this noise - bump, scrape, bump bump bump, scrape, thump!  It was right above my head as I was walking in the entryway.  We have a friend and her two sons staying with us and I thought - "there is no way these kids are up at 6:30 am playing in Richard's study!"  So the thought came to me....RATS!  I went and grabbed my flashlight and taking the stairs two at a time arrived in a flash at the attic door in the study.  Slowly opening it and flashing my light - which I couldn't get to go on - click click click - finally, the light coming on there was a baby rat stuck in the rat trap and Mama was standing nearby.  When I flashed the light she went scurrying away! What to do?  Call the husband!  So I did.  He said I should take the thing and drown it!  Fine thing to say when he is at work and I am at home!  Well, I did as I was instructed.  I took a glove and grabbed the trap and all and went outside and dumped him in a bucket of water watching him flailing around for air.  The thing is I didn't feel the least bit sorry!  What a hard heart I have!  I didn't even think - "all creatures great and small the Lord God made them all!"  I just thought - GOOD!  You pesky rat!  And then I left him in the bucket and went to work! 

So....next step is to call the exterminators!  I got my list and began calling.  You know how many companies are out of business now?  Well, after 3 calls I had to look again.  Finally made some calls and made appointments to find the best deals!  Its all about money after all!  haha!  Western Exterminators came out - they had the best price so we shall see what shall become of these little rat pests in my attic.  Tomorrow is doomsday! 

So life goes on if its not one thing its another!  Isn't that life though!  Wonder what will be next!