"And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight." ~ Book of Acts, Chapter 20, Verse 7, as rendered in the New American Standard Bible, (NASB)

I'm glad to report the results are in and they are conclusive. By all accounts, I can publicly announce that today is Friday, December 15, 2017. That should make for a happy happy response here, there, and in most places where the so-called weekend is greatly anticipated. You already know why I call it so-called. Saturday is actually the end of the week, (7th Day). Sunday, (1st Day), begins a brand new week. That's one of the reasons I always recommend that people start their week by joining others at the meeting place where God is worshipped. (In case you are wondering, the first day of the week for a gathering of a local congregation/church is the pattern found in the New Testament. It's generally referred to as the Lord's Day because Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week and believers join on the first day to worship our resurrected Savior.)  I am, at the same time, well aware of the mindset that sees it entirely based on having two days off. An entire commercial system of entertainment and other related services is widely promoted to entice folks to enjoy their two days off. Big business. At the risk of being saddled with the moniker of a voice crying in the wilderness, may I say once again that in my own life, coming to grips with this truth about the week ending on Saturday and the new week beginning on Sunday, well, it has made a huge difference in every aspect of our lives. But, you've heard me talk about that many times before, however, since I had it on my mind, perhaps repetitively so, I chose to recommend it once again under this guise, try it. It's pretty simple. Make God your priority on the first day of the week and it will help you to deal with the rest of the week.

One of the things I remember as a kid was when I got to go with mom to do her Christmas shopping. We lived in a rural Louisiana town and she would drive a little over an hour to Jasper, Texas to shop. For crying out loud, we even had to cross the Sabine River to get there. For me, it was like visiting a foreign country. I'm not even sure why we went there. We had Leesville just 30 minutes south of us and the town of Many just 30 minutes north of us. But, she liked the stores in Jasper. They were different. Maybe the thing I liked the best was knowing what everyone would be getting for Christmas. I was sworn to secrecy. Mom always did her best to make Christmas special for us kids. Because of her experiences growing up during the Great Depression, she knew, firsthand, what it was like to have very little at Christmastime, maybe only an apple and a piece of peppermint. To the best of her ability, she wanted us to not have that same experience. Our visit to Jasper was back in the day when the stores were in the downtown area and you could park and walk from one to the other. We would gather up different items and occasionally make a trip back to the car to unload them into the trunk. We would take the time to eat a burger at a local greasy spoon and it tasted so good. I can't remember how mom decided who could go with her. I may have only gone once, but, I still remember it. Today. It was exciting. It was Christmas. And now, it is a memory. One that is cherished.

Granny and Paw Paw Mac.

I would never want anyone to think that my life as a child growing up was without its difficulties, heartaches, and challenges. We had plenty of those ingredients too. So much so, at times, other folks thought perhaps our family, if not cursed, was certainly singled out for some reason. I'm not sure at what age I became aware of these thoughts people had about us, but, I can't remember it ever really bothering me. One of the reasons was because the patriarch of our family, Paw Paw Mac, lived out his belief that God is sovereign and he and Granny Mac didn't just quote the verse but they believed that everything that happened, the good, the bad, and even the tragic would eventually lead to good because they knew that they loved God and were The Called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) It was not fatalistic living. It was 'faith' living. I'm so thankful for their testimony and my mom's. They set before us, not so much a teaching ministry as from the book, but more so by their living by The Book, God's Holy Word. I think we all know there's a huge difference between a person's talk versus their walk. I was blessed to see folks who influenced my life who walked with the Lord, even through the valleys. I can only thank God for allowing me to have these folks in my life. The holidays are special times, but, they are made to be even more special as we remember folks like the ones I've talked about today. So very special. Have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday, and, I will do my best to catch back up with come next Monday. Lord willing. Of course. Always. Amen. ....More later.