While It Is Fresh On My Mind

Bob taught Sunday School this morning...a good lesson.

James and Amber came by this afternoon. We had a good visit.

And tonight we had Communion. The Lord's Supper.

Our church does not do it but a few times a year. And when they started doing it, just a few years ago, they did it more of a feely-good song service. Not what we were used to, but we hung in there. We were raised with lots and lots of teaching about all the elements, and history, and Greek and Hebrew. But, our church, which we have attended now for over 12 years, decided to do an actual supper. The first time, they served ham, and I about fainted. Pork at a passover-like meal? Whoa. I think they served lamb once. And an actual Passover re-enactment by a Jewish guy helped understand where Jesus was coming from. But stuff has been added over the years, and best to go back to the original.

God instituted the Passover to help the Israelites remember God's deliverance from slavery, from Egypt. God gave them specific instructions about killing and eating a lamb, and putting the blood on the doorposts and lintil, and eating unleaven bread with your traveling clothes on. To be saved, "passed-over" by the angel of death, all they had to do was believe. Obey. Wait on the Lord's deliverance. And every element of that first Passover pointed to Jesus who would die as the Lamb for the sins of the whole world.

I like how Bob explained how substitutionary atonement is more like a soldier dying for his men. Dying to protect his men. Taking their place. It is a hard concept to wrap our brains around, but that one helps a little. I have no idea what the Jews thought for thousands of years when they killed a lamb and pondered the innocence of the lamb and how it was going to take their sins away? Without the Temple, they don't even slaughter lambs anymore. But, even the unleaven bread and cup of wine are pictures of Jesus, the Bread from Heaven that came up out of the ground. He arose. And how His blood was shed for us. We don't do anything for our deliverance. Just believe. Trust that what He said and did is true.

Re-reading the chapters in first Corinthians where Paul addresses a wild church of folks doing things wrong, Paul repeats what Jesus said at the Last Supper, the night before He was betrayed, "Do this in remembrance of Me...for when we eat the bread and drink the cup, we declare the Lord's crucifiction UNTIL HE COMES. I focused so long on the declaring the Lord's death part, and forgot about the three other words: UNTIL HE COMES. Jesus is coming back. And He will set everything right.

The Jews of the Old Testament were commanded to commemorate the Passover every year looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. We commemorate what Jesus did on the cross looking back, but also forward to the fact that He is coming again. He loves us and wants the best for us. And as we marvel about the stories and commandments and instructions of the Bible, I am amazed how there is something new and fresh every time. All we do is believe. Trust. Listen. And wait on His deliverance. It is all there, in the elements we can touch and taste and feel---the pierced matsza, the cups of wine or grape juice, the sense of community---done as a group, a church, a family as we eat and drink and often act goofy. We can't help it. Someone tells us this is a solemn occasion--and the mirth breaks out. I saw Mr. Steve throw a napkin at Donna's husband tonight while we were singing---and we are SO thankful that the singing came after, when we actually have something to sing about. wow. Thank You, Lord!

Some communion services focus on our sins. the importance of confessing our sins, what we have done, so that we will somehow be clean, fresh, and not die from celebrating the Eucharist full of leaven. But, tonight, we tried to focus on how it was right in front of them all along----hidden in the elements----the picture of what Jesus had to do on the cross to save us. The matsza, wrapped in linen...

Ben-Ben dropped by!

Ben had a delivery to make at a trade show, so he was on the clock from 7am until 10am. Then he dropped by our house for a visit. And we fed him a late breakfast and got caught up on his news. He has two male kittens that are over a year old now, and starting to fight. He says the fur really flies sometimes. They were litter mates, and kept each other company growing up. They are strictly indoor cats. Ben says they jump each other, while one is using the litter box, or eating.

And we talked about that windy day. Ben said they have to tie off the ladder to the roof when it is windy. Yikes.

He liked the t-shirts I found for him at Walmart that were not too snarky.

James left to spend the day with Amber about thirty minutes before Ben dropped by.

And Benito just dropped by. I had some cookies and some playing cards for him. We cleaned out a drawer the other day, and found some playing cards that still looked new, and asked Ben if he wanted them, but Ben said no. They might entertain Benito for a little while.

I wonder if Andy is watching cartoons with the grandchild this morning??

Bob is working on his Sunday School lesson. So, I need to be good (quiet). This is hard because when I have a thought, it is out my mouth...

Amber and James came over at 3pm. Wonderful visit!!!

I baked up the rest of the cookie dough Cynthia gave me--gave them to James and Amber to take away. I am glad they like them. Good hot.

It got above 82 degrees inside, so we shut the windows and turned on the AC since Bob is studying. It is hot outside, and the cool front is stalling up by W. Falls.

Jay called---bragging about what a hard and good worker Ben is. How Ben will go far. How Ben will do fine. That was encouraging. Everyone is tired of hearing me say it out loud---that Ben is so much like my brother, Jay, that that has given me hope for many years...that Ben will do fine.

Friday

I have heard numbers thrown around about yesterday's wind---40 mph and 50 mph. I believe it.

Is today the first day of baseball season? Is today opening day?

Then there is the race activities at the race track north of Fort Worth.

The final four basketball games this weekend? And hockey winds down for us. (Stars)

Busy. Busy. Bob will be teaching Sunday School this Sunday AND doing the 20 minute prep for the Lord's Supper Sunday night.

The doves have found the safflower seed on the window sill. And I saw a squirrel pigging out on it yesterday---so the selling point on the bag of safflower seed about it being disgusting to squirrels is a myth.

The doves look like they are wearing powder blue eye shadow around their eyes. It has to be powder blue teeny tiny feathers.

Bob skunked me last night at Scrabble. He bingo-ed THREE times. He re-used those blanks all three times. He is deadly with blanks. 431-254 It was obvious that he was winning at the end, but he seemed to take an agonizingly long time to try and play his V. I was ready to scream. I should have suggested we play another game just to move it along. Yikes.

More later. I am clean outa thoughts. ha

Did y'all see Cake Wrecks yesterday? All the nose cakes. Let's see if new cakes are up today!

(8:21am alas, no. not yet. still baking...)

8:37am. Cakes are done. Animals, critters---can you imagine asking for a piece of claw/eye/horn/tongue? Not me. Yuck.

Conversations

I have Rush going on the radio. And I am listening to Scott and Liz's interview on blogtalk radio.

And I got an email from my niece --- so I am off to Walmart to work on her list. I love a quest.

Facebook makes it so easy to download pictures and take pictures! What fun.

More later...

Whoa, was it ever windy! Dangerous-grab-the-door-and-fling-it-out-of-your-hands windy.

Bob said they had to lean into the wind to go to lunch between the tall buildings downtown Dallas.

And the wind blew so hard it knocked over trees! The streets were littered with branches and leaves as if we had had an hail storm. Now that is windy!

Musings about the rest of the day...

We tried to Skpye tonight with the firstborn and his family, but our sound did not work, so we had the screen going, and the telephone in the other hand...

Bob reloaded the camera thingy and found an option toggled wrong. So, it should work next time...

Ate a late lunch at PF Chang's. It was okay. What is with the sauce flourishes?! I am for fighting it, and asking them to take away the tray. Bob is for just telling them to do a light seasoning, and letting it sit. Strange doings. Why make a sauce and then we had nothing to try it on? Pei Wei is the same company, and closer to where we live, and the food is hotter because it is a shorter distance between the kitchen and the table. ha.

Bob has been loading up his laptop. His laptop oughta be heavier now with all the new files. ha.

In researching and loading stuff, Bob went through the drawer of floppies and bagged them for disposal. Wow. We have lots more room in the drawer now. Our present stack does not even have a floppy slot thingy.

Yesterday, we picked James up from the airport. His flight was fifteen minutes EARLY. I just love that SW Airlines. They must have had a tail wind coming back from California. James had a great time meeting the in-laws, and seeing Amber's favorite places. I am so glad.

Ben called. And we got cards from relatives and friends. And we took pictures with the digital to update the blog and facebook--but facebook has this ability to snap pictures with the camera on the computer. It makes it SO easy to upload pictures. Facebook takes the "face" in facebook seriously. I had trouble downloading an "album" in facebook, but at least we updated the profile picture. The old one was a year old.

Legs are aching from sitting too long. Time for bed. Did anyone suffer April Fool pranks??

Thirty-one Years: April Fools!

Clouds from the storm the other day