and normally a day that I can take my time in here, for the most part. Today is not one of those Saturdays. I need to stop around 7-7:30-ish and get dressed and cleaned up.... heading to Wildflower to meet my friends - Sue, Dr. K and Nancy. We meet up about every 6 months it seems. This one just got pushed out to today. I checked the other day and all were still coming. We are to meet at 9a, but I can only stay until 10:30-ish as I need to head over to our church. The women's group is meeting and I still never got the cups over to the leader... which means I need to get to the church to drop off the cups... and I think it starts at 11:30a. I'm giving myself plenty of time to get there (I hope). After that, will come home for a short while (probably a nap) and then we will pick up a grandson who leaves tomorrow for the Army. We are taking him out to dinner just to spend a little time with him before he leaves. A busy Saturday for me, for sure!
I did a thing. Well, another thing. You know that I do those on occasion. I 'bought into' one of the food services. Again. We've done 3-4 of them over the years, I'd guess. For the past year I have gotten information on this one - Tovala - where they give you a free 'oven' to cook the food in. I decided to finally do it. Not that we needed the oven. It's a toaster oven/oven/air fryer and I don't know what else all in one. Anyway - I went with the 'best', of course. It arrived yesterday. It's bigger than I thought, and I do not have counter space - even where the current toaster oven is. So I set it aside until I can figure out what to do. I think I know where I'll put it, but I need to clean off the counters anyway. I need to declutter a lot of places - maybe the kitchen is the first place to start? Anyway - I've ordered six meals a week - 3 each - and we will see how it works out. We liked Nutrisystem, but it felt like it got expensive over time, but that may be because we ordered several meals? Factor we did not care for at all.... Home Chef was good, but it got to where we were 'out' all the time and I didn't have time to prepare the meals. Home Chef they send you all the ingredients and you actually create the dish. Fun - and good. But I ended up throwing some away cause I couldn't get to them. That's on me. So I cancelled it some time ago. Trying Tovala with only 3 meals each. Considering if we go out to eat at sit-down restaurants we can easily drop $50 with a tip - maybe this will save us money. Oh we'll still go out to eat.... sigh.
In fact, I thought about going out to eat last night, but I kept thinking about spending the money, and I just didn't want to. So hubby got a hamburger and green bean casserole. Talk about making something very easy and simple! And he was happy. He always eats whatever I fix.... I need to live forever or he will die from starvation as he just will not cook. Or hasn't, let's put it that way. He'd rather spend the money and go out to eat. I'd rather save (for the most part) the money and eat at home. As a last resort, he could have a protein shake, right? Not putting him down; a lot of men don't cook. A lot of times I just don't want to 'clean up' to go out to eat. I'm not one of those women who wear makeup all the time. Especially with working from home now. But I will this morning! LOL
I'm getting used to the liners now that the 'fillers' are in place. It still cuts into my inner lips, but, it's only for a short while. So I tell myself. I'm not putting them back in until after the women's thing today as I eat with my friends, and although I don't plan to eat with the women (hopefully won't be hungry), I may eat dessert... just saying. It's difficult to take in and out (I now have to use a tool, rather than my fingernails to grab hold and pull. I'm getting used to it. When I change out these liners next Thursday, I think it is, I will need to deal with 'new' liners that will fit tighter. Not looking forward to that. But, I'm in it for the 'long haul', I guess. Better than biting my inside jaw all the time.
I need to make a run to Staples at some point too; I have a prayer shawl to send to a friend I used to support at work as her mother passed away. I don't have anything here to mail it in and I think I can find a bag or something there. Just haven't made it over to look. Hope to get it in the mail by Monday.
Reading in 2 Peter this morning and as I read the introduction to the book, which was Peter's last letter to the Christians in Asia Minor to encourage them, under an explanation for 2 Peter 1:5, it has this.. well, let me give you the verse first.
2 Peter 1:5 (ESV): For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge,
When Peter urges us to "make every effort," he does not teach salvation by works; he means we should make Christ and His kingdom our focus, putting all our efforts into running the race He has set before us. Bishop J. C. Ryle wrote: "I would just as soon expect a farmer to prosper in his business who contented himself with sowing his fields and never looking at them until the harvest as to expect a believer to gain much holiness who has not been diligent about his Bible reading... his prayers, and... the use of his Sundays."
I think COVID restrictions really screwed up a lot of us - us included. People were sent home and couldn't go to church or any church fellowship activities. Yes, some churches then turned to online services - and that's great. But, as I have mentioned before, it leaves a void because of not having the fellowship with other believers. And after a few years, many of us got into the 'habit' of just watching 'church' on TV and not going at all... or only once in awhile. I admit, it was hard for us to get back into going every week. And, at times, we do not feel guilty about staying home to watch. But we enjoy the fellowship of other believers and greeting people and being hugged and talked to. It's a great feeling to be recognized when you walk in the door of the church, because you have been present - in person. Sitting at home watching does not make you NOT a Christian, but we are told to have fellowship with other believers. Sometimes we need them as much as they need us.
So many people quit going to church completely during this time. And they never went back. I probably could say that many slipped back into their 'old ways' of living life. There was no accountability. Unless they were rooted in the Word, and continued in the Word, and worked around not meeting in person - i.e., Zoom or Teams calls; I admit, it is hard to maintain living in close fellowship with Jesus. We need each other. And, that's why I am going to the women's luncheon today, although I don't know but one or two of those that will probably attend.
Yes, this is the group of the 'over 55' women. I've said it before, and I've said it to even the leader of this group - I don't want to go because I don't want to feel OLD. Yes, I'm over 55. Yes, I sometimes act like it. But I don't want to be 'one of those' 55 + women who ACT like they are 55+. Does that make sense? Yet, I probably do act like it because I cannot do the things, the activities, I'd really like to be doing. And yeah, I better just hush on that cause I always get myself riled up. Moving along....
Back to the scripture, we need to do all we can to keep growing in the Lord, to keep reading, to keep going to church, to keep (or try to be) in fellowship with other believers. I want to get more involved in the church. Even to the point I'm thinking of getting a few women together here at the house. I want to find a woman that I can trust with my innermost secrets and be held accountable in my walk. It is so easy to let things slide, and I'm being honest here. We all need someone to hold us accountable in our walk. Some things we may question. Some things we may wonder about. We are all here to lift up each other in our walk with Jesus. I am not perfect, by any means. I fall on my face and beg for forgiveness more than you know. It could be a word. It could be an action. It could be anything. We will never be perfect for only Jesus is perfect. But He is our perfect example. I wanna be Jesus to this world. Does that make sense?
Ok - need to get off here and start getting ready for my brunch. It's hot here, so be careful going out. Find a good book to read and settle in. Grab that Bible and read about grace in Romans, love in John, instructions in Paul's letters. There are so many jewels in the Bible that in our daily readings, many times we skim over them and miss them. Dig deep. You won't regret it.
Have an amazing day - and be kind to someone; you don't know what they are going through.
Blessings!
