Actually, one could say that 'vacation started last Saturday because that is a day off work, as is Sunday, but for me vacation is not having the work the workday - which is today. It will be a busy day of sorts. I have my doctor appointment / physical at 8:40AM (at least it is early) and then will come back home to pack the rest of my things. We don't need to leave until around 11-12... and will stop on the way for lunch, I'm sure. We can 'check in' at 3PM and plan to stop and pick up a bucket of spaghetti as we go through the town before.
Yep, I said a bucket of spaghetti. There is a place down from the grocery I found when on Jailbreak this year as we were in the area we are going to today. Actually, friends told me about it. It's a 'store' that only sells spaghetti in a bucket. They have a paper bucket (similar to KFC buckets) and they are in different sizes. One size is for 4-6 people, and another larger size for others. You can buy with meatballs (I think they charge by the large meatball - can you believe that?) or without. I told hubby we could stop there as it is just down the row from the grocery store and pick up spaghetti for dinner tonight (and probably dinner or lunch tomorrow too). Oh, they also give garlic bread with it. When we girls got it - it was really good, and I think spaghetti is hubby's favorite meal so he will be in a much better mood and a happy camper.
Ms. Amy and the daughter next door have decided to move her in 60 days to an assisted living in Ft. Myers, which will be closer to the three daughters. They plan for the duplex to set empty for several months; asked if we could pick up their mail - mainly junk since all the bills are automatically deducted from her checking account. I never made it to the assisted living location here... the daughter 'didn't feel like going' on Saturday, and yesterday she decided to go while we were at church versus waiting for me. I find this out at 3PM when I called to see when she was going; we had agreed on 1:30PM. Oh well. I called Ms. Amy and will try to call her periodically. She is a sweetheart. She is out here alone since her husband died. It will be good for her to be with her daughters. Her son, ironically, lives in Indianapolis.
The message at church yesterday was really good. Based on Philippians 4:19, Pastor Pat 'preached it'. What is Philippians 4:19?
Philippians 4:19 (NKJV): "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
The title of the message was "God will provide". But the summary of the entire message can be found in the acronym 'SURE'.
S = Supernaturally. God will provide for you supernaturally. It may be an unexpected gift of monies that are needed for a critical need. It may be a bag of groceries when you are out of food. It may be your car makes it to a certain location - only your find out it shouldn't have. Reminds me of my bestest friend Bertie. She and her hubby were driving to Kalamazoo from PawPaw for an MS rally or something (she had MS)... and the van started acting funny, but they kept driving. When they got there, David, her husband, stopped at a station for them to look at it. They had a tire that all the bolts had either broken or fallen off... nothing was holding the tire in place. And another tire had only one bolt left on it. Yeah... God provided for them supernaturally.
U = Unexpectedly. I can remember one Christmas when hubby wasn't working and it was just the two of us left at home, but we were broke. No money to pay the bills, let alone do much for Christmas for the family. It was a very painful time for me, and I was constantly praying for God's intervention and for His help. Christmas morning, before the kids came over, hubby went out front to check on something, and found two grocery sacks sitting on the porch next to the door. Puzzled, he brought them in. They weren't full of groceries, but gifts for hubby and I. I remember I got a nice white sweater. Hubby probably got a sweater too, and there were a few other gifts for us in there as well. No name as to who it was from. But someone knew we weren't having much of a Christmas that year. God provided and blessed us unexpectedly.
R = Religiously. It will always come back to God. There is a story about a woman who was out of groceries and prayed very loudly every day that God would provide groceries for her. Every day. Next door to her lived a person who did not love God and didn't believe in Him. Every day he listened to this woman loudly praying that God would provide food for her. The man had a plan. He went and bought a couple bags of groceries and put them on the porch, rang the doorbell, then hid and waited to see what the woman would do. She came out and saw the groceries and started praising God for providing for her needs. The neighbor jumps out from behind the bushes and goes 'Aha! See! Your God didn't provide for you - I did! I bought those groceries!" And the woman started dancing around and praising God louder and louder and saying that God did provide for her, and He used the devil's money to pay for it!
E - Exponentially. That means it will keep increasing. When God provides for you, it isn't always just one time, He continues to provide for you in all things in all ways, when you give Him the glory for providing. It doesn't matter who or what provides the need physically, it is God working through them to provide it.
Our God is a good, good Father. He always provides for our needs, and oftentimes gives us what we want as well.
Sit back and think of some times when God has stepped in and helped you. Or someone you love. Perhaps you never asked God for help; but someone else did. Or perhaps God just saw your need and provided. Did you stop to thank Him? It may be 20 years or more ago, but if it has come to your mind as you sit there, then I suggest you pause and just say 'Thank You, Lord, for providing for our need when you....".
God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good.
Blessings!
