RVing fulltime with Tom and Ella

2018 October 01 Monday leaving Perry, Oklahoma and ended in Austin Texas

68° and sunshine. To start. And reached 83° somewhere along the route.

Crossed over into Texas at 11:10 a.m.

We stopped in Waco to visit what Larraine. We visited, she feed us and sent us on our way we’ll gifted with canned goods. We will restock our shelves and donate the rest, probably to Operation Liberty Hill.

Dairy Queen opened a store in Liberty Hill while we were away. So it was only polite to stop in and say howdy and sample their wares

Arriving at the Stocktank RV park around five, we found the ground where it RV is stored to be very wet. We also found the spot to which we will move it to be very wet. As a matter of fact I got stuck and couldn’t get the truck out. Fortunately they are nice folks at the park who are willing to help. All it took was a one ton, four wheel drive truck and a lot chain to set us free.i desired against trying to move the trailer.

We checked in with Leigha and Adam. It was a sad day for them. Dude, their thirteen year old dog, had passed away

We called Jenny and asked if we could crash there for the night. She said yes and we are.

G’nite y’all!

Visit my daily devotions blog https://musingsdevotions.wordpres mys.com/

/And my sermons blog http://thomasewilliams.blogspot.com/?m=1l
All content (except quotations) © 2018 Thomas E. Williams

2018 September 30 Sunday

2018 September 30 Sunday left Grimes Iowa drove through Missouri and Kansas and stopped in Oklahoma

47° and completely overcast with Heather sky. Very damp from overnight rain. We saw 83° in Kansas

We had a community breakfast at the clubhouse. We said our goodbyes and went back to the trailer. And loaded the last few items. Then I waited in the truck while Ella distributed dryer sheets everywhere. They are supposed to keep the mice away

Reset trip meter and headed for church.

At 100 miles we are just approaching the Iowa Welcome Center on this side of the Missouri border and I can now speed back up to 70 miles an hour. We had a long section of 55 mph in a construction zone.

1:45 we passed the Iowa-Missouri state line.

We hit 200 miles just about 10 minutes after 3 in the afternoon and about 20 miles out of Kansas City.

4:30 p.m. almost 80° and mostly cloudy in Kansas.

It is 5 and we are in Tecumseh Kansas. Stopped for fill up and potty break.

5:30 and 81°

It is 6:40 p.m. and we are in Matfield, Kansas we’ve stopped for supper. Having Hardee’s.

After supper we stepped outside to this sky.

We’ve got about 350 miles behind us and we have approximately 600 to go. I do not plan to drive it straight through. We’ll stop somewhere for a while.

At 9:20 p.m. we cross the kansas-oklahoma border.

We reached the half way point of our journey. 473 miles from both Grimes and Liberty Hill.

Perry Oklahoma is where we came to rest tonight we arrived at the Comfort Inn about 10:15 p.m.

G’nite y’all!

Visit my daily devotions blog https://musingsdevotions.wordpres mys.com/

/And my sermons blog http://thomasewilliams.blogspot.com/?m=1l
All content (except quotations) © 2018 Thomas E. Williams

THREE WAYS

MUSINGS – September 30 2018

THREE WAYS

Mark 3:22-30
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said, “Beelzebul is in him,” and “He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons.” Jesus called them together and used this illustration: “How can Satan force out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household will not last. So if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot last. That will be the end of him. “No one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property. First he must tie up the strong man. Then he can go through the strong man’s house and steal his property. “I can guarantee this truth: People will be forgiven for any sin or curse. But whoever curses the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He is pguilty of an everlasting sin.” Jesus said this because the scribes had said that he had an evil spirit.

It is of some note that these scribes came all the way from Jerusalem to try and discredit Jesus. See how great a threat he was to them that they would travel great distances into the countryside to do verbal battle.

The attack of these learned scholars was so weak that Christ easily destroys it with a simple analogy of a kingdom divided. In a battle of wits they came unarmed.

Jesus then issues a dire warning to them, “whoever curses the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.” When the one whose whole purpose is to seek the Lord and forgive if their sins, tells you to your face that you’ve crossed a line that can not be forgiven, you should be very afraid indeed. Jesus cast out demons and performed wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit. And these foolish scribes had just called the Spirit the devil.

There are three ways to respond to Jesus: you can totally accept that he is who he claims to be, you can have doubts and honest questions that are not rejection but a settling for answers, and it is also possible to close your mind and handed your heart so that no proof no matter how obvious, will be accepted.

What is your response?

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And my sermons blog http://thomasewilliams.blogspot.com/?m=1

FAMILY: A HARD MINISTRY

MUSINGS – September 29 2018

FAMILY: A HARD MINISTRY

Mark 3:20-22
Then Jesus went home. Another crowd gathered so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. When his family heard about it, they went to get him. They said, “He’s out of his mind!”

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said, “Beelzebul is in him,” and “He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons.”

We don’t have to read too far into the Gospels to see that the religious authorities really don’t like Jesus. This is understandable on a human level because he was a threat to their power and authority. So, we can not be too surprised that try to discredit him and even kill him.

However, it is harder to understand why his family would say that he was crazy. In John’s gospel chapter 7:1-13 is another story that involves his interaction with his brothers and in verse 5 we see that they did not believe him. This too is a very human reaction. Jesus himself said, “The only place a prophet isn’t honored is in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house.”*

We had a foreign exchange student who spent most of a year livening in our home and becoming a part of our family. She stated that one of the best things about her experience was that no one knew her from before and that all they knew about her was as she was now. I think that is a very wise observation. People who knew me in my teenage years would hardly believe what I’ve become in my later years. I have unbelievers in my family also.

It is important to note that, even if dinner is his family had doubts, they cared enough about him to come to take him home, where he could be fed and cared for. I’ve come to the belief, that because of our shared history, I’m not the one who will lead them to belief. It will take an outsider to teach them. In the mean time, I try to be the outsider the others.

Can you reach your family for Christ it do they know you too well? You pray for my family and I’ll pray for you. We all need help from our friends.

*Mark 6:4

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And my sermons blog http://thomasewilliams.blogspot.com/?m=1

REACH, BRING, TRAIN, SEND

MUSINGS – September 28 2018

.REACH, BRING, TRAIN, SEND

Mark 3:13-19
“Jesus went up a mountain, called those whom he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve whom he called apostles. They were to accompany him and to be sent out by him to spread the Good News. They also had the authority to force demons out of people. He appointed these twelve: Simon (whom Jesus named Peter), James and his brother John (Zebedee’s sons whom Jesus named Boanerges, which means “Thunderbolts”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Jesus).

We are so accustomed to thinking of the twelve apostles following Jesus that it is easy to forget that he called hundreds to follow him. In fact it is often recorded how difficult it was for him to get away from the crowd and to be alone.

On this occasion he chose twelve from among the many to receive special training, duties and power. The first appointment of officers of the first congregation. Jesus was beginning to deligate some of the responsibility. He was transforming followers into leaders.

One of the best pieces of advice I received when I became a manager was: always be training your replacement. The idea is that, if you are indispensable in that position, you will never be promoted. Jesus knew his time was short and he would need others to carry on with the work. That should be our model in building the kingdom of God; reach out, bring in, train up, and send out.

Visit my daily blog. https://rvingfulltime in be be all ofwithtomandella.com/

And my sermons blog http://thomasewilliams.blogspot.com/?m=1

2018 September 27 Thursday

2018 September 27 Thursday in Grimes Iowa

54° to 73° though the sun never made it through the clouds today.

We did gather at the clubhouse for coffee and conversation until Stoney came rushing in asking for help catching his runaway dog, Sam. When we get outside, the dog was waiting for us.

Since we had broken up the coffee clutch, we went ahead over to the Grimes Senior center. And played a couple rounds of Fast Track before lunch.

After lunch Stoney have a short talk about the various jobs he had head in his 78 years.

While we were out, I took a photo of Ella standing next to a fire hydrant. I did this for our southern friends. I wanted them to see the depth marker over Ella’s head. It is there so that the fire department can find the hydrant in the snow.

I took a picture of these two speed zone signs which are about 40 feet apart.

G’nite y’all!

Visit my daily devotions blog https://musingsdevotions.wordpres mys.com/

/And my sermons blog http://thomasewilliams.blogspot.com/?m=1l
All content (except quotations) © 2018 Thomas E. Williams

HARD HEARTED OR OPEN MINDED?

MUSINGS – September 27 2018

HARD HEARTED OR OPEN MINDED?

Mark 3:1-6
“Jesus went into a synagogue again. A man who had a paralyzed hand was there. The people were watching Jesus closely. They wanted to see whether he would heal the man on the day of worship so that they could accuse him of doing something wrong. So he told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand in the center of the synagogue.” Then he asked them, “Is it right to do good or to do evil on the day of worship, to give a person back his health or to let him die?” But they were silent. Jesus was angry as he looked around at them. He was deeply hurt because their minds were closed. Then he told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held it out, and his hand became normal again. The Pharisees left, and with Herod’s followers they immediately plotted to kill Jesus.”

In yesterday’s MUSINGS I talked about the strictness of traditions for the Sabbath. Here is one more example, as I understand it: If you had mixed vegetables or fruit on your plate and you didn’t like one of the items in the mix, you could not remove the offensive item from the plate. This would be considered winnowing, selecting, or sifting which are forbidden. You could, however, eat the other items and leave the offensive item on the plate as long as you did not touch it with an eating utensil. You can remove the good from the bad but not the bad from the good.

I mention this restriction because, in an odd way, it showed the mind frame of the people in the synagogue. Jesus asked, “Is it right to do good or to do evil on the day of worship?” In their thinking, when Jesus healed, he was removing the bad from the good which was forbidden.

“He was deeply hurt because their minds were closed.” Other translation say, he was “grieved for the hardness of their heart,” He had appealed to their sense of right and wrong. He asked if it was right to do good or evil, to heal or let him die. Their traditions, that had developed around the law of Moses, were more important than mercy and compassion. In the parable of Good Samaritan* he addresses this same hard hearted closed minded adherence to man made precepts

Jesus, in his mercy, healed the man. As I said yesterday, in their minds he had broken a law which demanded capital punishment.

Jesus challenged their understanding of scripture, their understanding of the law, their understanding of God’s will. He still does. Have we become closed minded it hard hearted? Do we still seek answers from the word of God? Are we open to what the Spirit is saying to us? Or have we already decided on our own what is right and what is wrong?

*Luke 10:25-37

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Daily Prompt: Penchant

via Daily Prompt: Penchant

26 September 2018 Wednesday

26 September 2018 Wednesday in Grimes and Johnston Iowa.

49° and completely cloudless at day’s beginning. At noon it was 60° and still clear.

I was lazy today. I didn’t even get outside to capture the sunrise. Later I just took this sun photo through the blinds and the screen. Kinda artsy ain’t it? Grin.

Stoney and Sue, and Ella and I were the only ones at coffee in the clubhouse today

At last count there were 44 for lunch at the Grimes Senior Center for lunch

It was the bingo that brought them out today.

Speaking of lunch, it was tacos which had onions* minced into it. That means I chose to not eat any. After lunch and after bingo we meet with friends and family at Village Inn. I had my lunch there … along with the free pie.

Kara and Karla, two of my nieces were there to say goodbye to us before we head south.

Can you shoot the difference?

Ella fits nicely in front of us.

Howard, Audrey, Sue and Ella played Mexican train dominoes in the evening at the adult center.

Ella and I went back to Village Inn after dominoes. We were joined by Lyn who came down to see us before we took off for Texas.

* See September 16 post about me and onions

G’nite y’all!

Visit my daily devotions blog https://musingsdevotions.wordpres mys.com/

/And my sermons blog http://thomasewilliams.blogspot.com/?m=1l
All content (except quotations) © 2018 Thomas E. Williams

DOCTRINE, DOGMA, OR JESUS?

MDOCTRINE, DOGMA, OR JESUSUSINGS – September 26 2018

DOCTRINE, DOGMA, OR JESUS?

Mark 2:23-28
Once on a day of worship Jesus was going through the grainfields. As the disciples walked along, they began to pick the heads of grain. The Pharisees asked him, “Look! Why are your disciples doing something that is not permitted on the day of worship?” Jesus asked them, “Haven’t you ever read what David did when he and his men were in need and were hungry? Haven’t you ever read how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was chief priest and ate the bread of the presence? He had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right. Haven’t you ever read how he also gave some of it to his men?” Then he added, “The day of worship was made for people, not people for the day of worship. For this reason the Son of Man has authority over the day of worship.”

Well, the disciples have done it again. They’ve upset the religious authorities once more. They were working on the Sabbath, they began to pick the heads of grain. This probably seems to be a trivial matter to most of us in our culture. However, it was a capital offense in the Old Testament. You could be killed for working, or every walking more than 0.596 miles on the Sabbath day.

At the time of this story, the Roman conquers of Israel would not let the Jewish authorities enforce the death penalty. But that didn’t make it any less of an offense to the Jewish leaders.

Jesus remind them that the Sabbath was made for man. That is, the Sabbath is a gift from God for the work done on the other side of days off the week. It was meant as a blessing but the overly strict interpretation of the priesthood had made it more if a curse.

But he goes much further when he declared, “the Son of Man has authority over the day of worship.” Jesus was proclaiming to the legalistic Jewish rulers that He was greater than the Law and above the laws of the Mosaic Covenant because, as God in flesh, He is the Author of those laws. Far from calming their outage, he metaphorically poured fuel on the fire, a whole tanker truck if gasoline.

He came to right the wrong, to realign humanitie’s will with the will if God. And that meant a lot of people weren’t going to like the changes.

I have a small cup of gasoline myself. Imagine for a moment if Jesus came to you and told you that your religious beliefs were wrong. Ehat do you do? Do you defend the Doctrine and Dogma of your church or do you follow Jesus? Don’t just read your Bible. Study it! Does it agree with what you have believed or does it challenge those beliefs?

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And my sermons blog http://thomasewilliams.blogspot.com/?m=1