We can count on it. The song is true, He does have the whole world in His hands!

Welcome one and all as we celebrate the day the Lord has given to us. We wake up to this one, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. What we do with it remains to be seen. I try to always start each day by recognizing our Sovereign Lord and giving Him the thanks and praise He deserves. This is a good way to embrace each day, especially in these 'the sky is falling' times we are living in. We rely upon God and His promises:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

'For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.'

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39, New King James Version)

Recognizing this truth is a good thing. Making it a reality in how we live out each day is an entirely different matter. To do so reflects living by faith as opposed to living by sight. (2nd Corinthians 5:7) Something for us all to think about. Amen.

These girls, (Dot and Lil Bit) used to play 'church' out in the yard when they were little. They took turns using the doorsteps as a piano, leading the singing, and doing the preaching. I think they may have baptized a few pets along the way. That training paid off as they continue their lifetime of serving their Lord. These two will be a part of the East Leesville Baptist Mission Trip to Olean, NY (near Buffalo), 21-28 July 2018. They will be conducting Backyard Bible Schools and Community Outreach in partnership with Central Baptist Church. Pray for Dorothy and Marilyn, (twins born 18 months apart), and the rest of their team who will be flying up there this coming Friday. Their mission is to see lives changed by the Gospel. (Pray for me as I do my best to make it on my own. I need to find the lyrics to that Barbara Mandrell song: Sleeping Single in a Double Bed.)

Based on past experience, there's really not much hope of me getting a lot of sympathy for my plight. Therefore, it's best to just soldier on. And, the Good Lord knows, I've had a lot of experience in this particular area. I told my class last week that her leaving me for this, that, or the other reason has been going on for so long that people thought the 'Home Alone' movies must have had something to do with me. I must admit, it has given me a lot of material over the years. (That's supposed to be me on the see-saw, all by myself. In case you didn't catch it, that makes it hard to function.) Everyone knows by now that she is the wife of my youth for these nearly 54 years. (Proverbs 5:18) One gets used to the routine this implies. And, as self-sufficient and independent as everyone thinks I am, I actually need all the help I can get and as the old King James puts it, "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." (Genesis 2:18) There you have it. God said it's not good for me to be alone. And, there you were, all along thinking I was just being selfish and focused on me, myself, and I. I don't need Charleton Heston to do a voice over to make the point. God said it and that settles it. Meanwhile, I will look forward to when she returns. I will also try to keep things going while she is away. We have a dear friend who we served alongside for many years in Church ministry who used to always ask me this pregnant question, "Are you being have?" (Bro. Jim Gaut) As a diabetic, that would likely be a good question for me to ponder over the next 10 days. Enjoy the rest of your day and may God bless us all is my prayer. Amen. ...More later.