The Lord's blessing's be with you. Hopefully you noticed my blog's face lift! I had a few constructive suggestions that the dark green was too hard to read on. When I made it the first time I couldn't figure out how to get a picture for the background, but I found that possibility so hopefully you all like the new look. I also got a suggestive hint from a helpful brother that my daily blog is turning into a weekly blog, so I will try to do better with that as well. Although, this week is going to be a busy, busy week so I apologize in advance if I still fall short. (As Dr. Gibbs would say, "It's ok, you are still baptized!")
This weekend proved to be almost as good as I had hoped for. Friday was a blast. I got my oil changed, then went to prof and stein. We went to the Preachers soccer game here on campus. They lost but it was fun to cheer for them, and I think they do appreciate us there cheering for them. Then we went to Isofest, which was really good food, good beer, and fun times. We went bowling after that, and it was a blast. We had a group of about fifteen of us there, and only about a million laughs. We also realized that Steven Jackson was bowling only two lanes down from us. For those of you who don't know, (I didn't either) it is the Ram's running back. Some of the guys talked to him, and he was really nice about it. He just didn't want any pictures or give any autographs.
Saturday I had breakfast with my brother Nathan. It was good to see him and catch up on everything he is doing. He gave me the best birthday present ever. I now officially have a ticket for the Hawkeyes Huskers game on my birthday in Lincoln. I cannot wait to be back in Memorial Stadium hopefully watching my Huskers beating up the Hawkeyes. Then I had to go to training for my new job. I am the breakfast cashier one day a week. For those of you who didn't hear, our kitchen was being redone, and while it was being worked on we had a catering service feeding us. I don't mean to be rude but out of the tree weeks I ate there, I believe I had one meal I actually thought was good. We were not disappointed to see them leave. Saturday was the first day for the new kitchen and its food. They do all their cooking in conventional (steam cooking I believe) ovens and there is not one fat fryer in the whole kitchen. I love that because I think its fryer grease that normally bothers me when I eat it everyday. However, this is suppose to be much healthier. So we had training on working the new system, and then we ate the brunch. It was absolutely delicious. I was very impressed. Then I had to work supper Saturday night because the other cashier couldn't make it, and so I ate supper there again, and it was also very good. I am excited for good food again. We get lunches everyday, they are included in our room and board. We have to pay with cash or credit card for breakfast and supper, but they are very reasonably priced for the amount of food and the quality of food you get. I don't normally eat breakfast, but I will days I work. Then I don't plan on buying supper every night, but it will be good to have as an option if I don't feel like fixing anything, and its better than fast food.
Then I went with some of the guys over to one of the married guys house to watch the Husker game. They played terrible and lost. I am still a hundred percent behind them, but I was thoroughly disappointed with their performance and especially with the play calling. Our running game was actually doing quite well, and our quarter back is definitely not a throwing quarter back! So what do we do, decide we should only throw the ball, and end up throwing three interceptions. I don't mind Martines because he does have his strengths, but he also has his weaknesses and its the coaches job to know those and organize around them. Oh well, we still have plenty of chances to prove ourselves in the Big Ten.
Today went really well. Went to church, and I read the lessons. Then I sat in on one of the Sunday School classes. I loved it, and wish everyone would go back and hear the lesson from a child's point of view. After all, Jesus said nobody can come to Him unless they have the mindset of a child. I just love to watch little kids learn about Jesus, because they are still excited to be learning the stories. I don't know why at some point kids and even most adults get bored with their faith. Then we went to lunch with Pastor as always.
When we got home I took my Sunday nap, and then got up and started homework. Like I said this week is going to be a busy week. On top of my usual classes, work, nursing home visit, and homework, I also have my new cashier job, two papers, a book report, and a test as well as continuing to work out hopefully. We will see how it goes, but I am not worried. Just a matter of getting time management down.
My thought for the day comes from this morning's lessons/sermon. For those of you who went to church and your church is on Series A readings, you should have heard about the beloved vineyard. Isaiah 5:1-7 and Matthew 21:33-46. What I want to especially point out is one time knowing Hebrew actually helps. Almost all English translations use the word "wild" to describe the bad grapes that produced. He plants the best grape vines he can, and yet it was bad grapes that grew on them. Rather than just bad though Pastor used putrid, or I like nasty for the adjective. One, wild does not fully express how bad the grapes where, and two when I heard wild grapes grew, I thought of whole new wild vines growing and overtaking the good vines. However, it was still the choice vines that produced the rotten, nasty grapes. This fits properly because the vineyard is a metaphor for us, God's people. God created the world, the elaborate,awesome, beloved vineyard, and planted His choice vines, us His choice children. He sat back and waited for His beloved creation to produce a wonderful harvest the best grapes which makes the best wine, or in our case, best service to Him which makes the best praise and worship to Him. However, we His children, His choice vines only produced putrid, rotten, nasty grapes, or sins! We weren't the choice vines who were overtaken by wild vines growing up around us. Some Christians would say this is more fitting. They are still the choice vine who would produce the best grapes if those wild vines around them weren't stopping them. This use of wild and its implication here makes it seems as if unbelievers are the ones to blame for our grapes being nasty. However, this is completely wrong. It is us, His choice vines, producing the nasty grapes. We have no one to blame but ourselves. We were His choice vines, placed in His beloved vineyard, with a hedge, wall, and tower for protection. We we placed in the best place we could be, overlooked on by our master who truly loved us. And yet, all we did was produce nasty, rotten grapes. We were His prize creation, created in His image. Placed in the garden of Eden, watched over and protected by our Master who truly loves us. And yet all we did was fall into sin, and produce terrible, nasty service to Him. However, instead of destroying us or giving up on His love for us, He decided to save us. He sent His Son to gather the harvest from His tenants. (Matthew reference now.) Then when we killed His Son, who came to save the harvest, He still did not give up on His love for us. Rather He rose His son from the dead, and claimed us as His forgiven children. Now someday, we can be brought home to Him as His harvest, not because we produced anything worthy, all we did was continue to produce our rotten, nasty fruits. But because we are His beloved, because He saved us, redeemed us, and washed us clean of our nastiness, through the death and resurrection of His Son, He will consider us His harvest. What a wonderful and gracious God we have to love even us, to see past our nastiness, to the choice wine we are through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. All praise be to Him!
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you so much for not giving up on us when we produced a putrid harvest. Thank you for sending Your One and only Son to come and save us, Your choice vines gone bad. We do not deserve Your grace and love, but through the death and resurrection of Your Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit, our nasty harvest can still be made into a plentiful harvest for You. For this blessing of grace, and all other blessings You give us, we do truly thank you. We ask that You continue to be and abide with us all, until You call us home to You. In You holy name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, One God now and forever more, we pray. Amen.
Love the new format, buddy. It's much easier to read.
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