Well yet again Friday night was another night of slumber-partying with Holly. She was going to have a lil’ dorm warming party for Meagan Saturday. The plan was for me to stay over to help get things ready. The plan. What happened might was slightly different. A few of the youth and Holly were going to visit Chelsea Baldwin to offer their prayers and support in the passing of her father. I kept Rachel, Rebekah and Chloe. I got them dinner (well, if you consider dinner McDs and BK). Rachel made me laugh. She said “I want a chicken sandwich with white stuff, and apples and water, because I eat healthy.” She was a hoot all weekend. I had a surprise for her that she didn’t know about. She has wanted glasses, so when I saw some at Claire’s, I got ‘em. When I gave them to her, you would have thought this child really had vision problems. See, these glasses aren’t real, they just look real. She wore them and didn’t take them off. At one point she was talking to someone and cleaning them on her shirt, like I’m sure you’ve seen done before. I had to turn around so she couldn’t she me cracking up. As per mine and Holly’s usual, we stayed up WAY too late talking, and eating, and of course didn’t cook any of the things we’d plan to do in advance. But Saturday was a fun time, and I stayed at Holly’s house much later than I’d planned. Just always seems to happen that way. Oh, I forgot to explain that Mark and Rich were at Promise Keepers Friday and Saturday.

On Sunday Roger’s sermon was on the last commandment: “Thou shalt not covet.” I really realized how guilty I am of coveting. It’s in some ways that maybe are less obvious, which fits into my renewed realization of exactly how sneaky and crafty the devil is. I remember one story from my youth when my best friend got a car. My car was junk. Her car was much nicer and newer than my car, and I was fuming with jealousy. But, as Roger talked I thought about many situations in my life at this very moment are covetous. I thought about him saying that we should truly be happy for the gain of others, and was challenged to live up to that and realizing I have not.

You know if I put those glasses on that I got for Rachel and try to use them in the place of mine which are prescription, I’m not going to be able to see a thing. Those glasses look real, and goodness knows she can pull it off as if they are real. But they are not real. This world has us looking through lenses of happiness that are not real. Through them we see a distorted view of life and are left in a helpless state that leaves us going to the wrong person for guidance. Even though many of us treat this as a game, it’s not. One of Vision’s class members feels he may be called into an area that helps pull those lies off people. This will take God’s help and a very strong commitment from this person, so please lift him up in prayer if and when you think of it. Don’t flirt around and mess around with places and things you shouldn’t. This is serious and then end truly is near. Does that scare you? It shouldn’t.

Isaiah 65

1-7 “I’ve made myself available to those who haven’t bothered to ask.
I’m here, ready to be found
by those who haven’t bothered to look.
I kept saying ‘I’m here, I’m right here’
to a nation that ignored me.
I reached out day after day
to a people who turned their backs on me,
People who make wrong turns,
who insist on doing things their own way.
They get on my nerves,
are rude to my face day after day,
Make up their own kitchen religion,
a potluck religious stew.
They spend the night in tombs
to get messages from the dead,
Eat forbidden foods
and drink a witch’s brew of potions and charms.
They say, ‘Keep your distance.
Don’t touch me. I’m holier than thou.’
These people gag me.
I can’t stand their stench.
Look at this! Their sins are all written out—
I have the list before me.
I’m not putting up with this any longer.
I’ll pay them the wages
They have coming for their sins.
And for the sins of their parents lumped in,
a bonus.” God says so.
“Because they’ve practiced their blasphemous worship,
mocking me at their hillside shrines,
I’ll let loose the consequences
and pay them in full for their actions.”

8-10God’s Message:

“But just as one bad apple doesn’t ruin the whole bushel,
there are still plenty of good apples left.
So I’ll preserve those in Israel who obey me.
I won’t destroy the whole nation.
I’ll bring out my true children from Jacob
and the heirs of my mountains from Judah.
My chosen will inherit the land,
my servants will move in.
The lush valley of Sharon in the west
will be a pasture for flocks,
And in the east, the valley of Achor,
a place for herds to graze.
These will be for the people
who bothered to reach out to me, who wanted me in their lives,
who actually bothered to look for me.