It Could Be Worse.

 It Could Be Worse.

 

Patty recently paid to have our road worked on—mostly because it bothered me so much. Her end of the road was so bad that the people who were making deliveries were afraid to drive over the area where the trash truck had dug out a small canyon. Anyway, we found a couple of people on those places where you find them, and two came to talk to us. The first one was way cheaper, but he seemed sketchy and had those tattoos all over his face. The next one was more expensive, but seemed like a nice guy and seemed to know what he was doing. Yep, he did a number on us! In Patty’s words: He is a lying sack of shizzlebaum. He ended up charging her much more for the work than what was on the original paperwork. Then this past week OK Concrete let Patty know that they were going to file a lien against her property because the asphalt person, Pat O’Hara, had not paid for the supplies. We are hoping that O’Hara goes and pays the bill for OK Concrete and we never hear from any other company that he has not paid!! Patty called her lawyer to see if this was kosher, and sure enough, if you hire a contractor and he does not pay for the supplies, you are liable for the junk he used. WARNING: this is the kind of situation that makes people turn old before their time!! Anyway, please pray that the situation is resolved so that Patty does not have to pay nearly $1K for gravel. Not to mention the strain of such an idiotic situation!!

 

My entire day has been a hobbled mess, but the extension cord is now back in the workshop where it belongs, some furniture removed from the house, and the living room floor is mopped and nice and clean. If any energy shows up tomorrow, the front chicken coop will get cleaned—and maybe the middle coop.

 

The hens have been enjoying the sunshine and have been laying eggs like champs! Saving these for Michelle Malay and hoping she will get them soon. She tells me a more or less date for the next knee surgery, but my head is not on straight, so it skips right over that internal calendar. Sigh. So glad that her brother-in-law Tim is there with her to help.

 

Moved the two big flower containers to the front porch. If it is supposed to get cold again, will just cover them rather than haul their heavy ends back inside! Nice flower pots and nice flowers, but drippy and messy when being watered. Oh, but they flowers are so uplifting!

 

Have you ever considered how that a person can be culturally ignorant? Well, you are reading the message of a person who does not know anything about the movies or sports personalities. TV is never turned on around here. Of course, most young folks don’t go around listening to records or even radios—well, maybe radios if it has their particular brand of music on it. Most young folks don’t know the words to songs from back in the 50s to the 80s. [NOT that this person does either.] But Patty was trying to tell me what someone looked like while giving a reference to a TV show. Then she stopped: “But you have never seen him, have you?” Nope, can’t say that anyone makes my list unless it was one of the James Bond characters. And that was only because Lewis wanted me to see the movies with him. And you know what? Being culturally ignorant in some areas of life doesn’t hurt a thing. Now, trying to help my friend Carla Beard with references to drugs and the words for “high” was interesting. One of my grandchildren said that someone who used MJ would be “smoked.” How strange. This old woman has never played Pickle Ball either! Guess the rules and equipment could be researched, but why bother? My pace is not even as fast as a broody hen!!

 

Still reading in Revelation and researching scriptures. Still thinking about some verses that have me puzzled: The end will not come unless there is a great falling away:

The Great Apostasy happens inside the visible or institutional church

The Great Apostasy refers to a significant falling away from the Christian faith. This isn’t a rebellion against the government by unbelievers, this is a rebellion against Christian belief and practice, by previously believing and associating people. This appears to be the near consensus of most reformed and evangelical scholars. Anthony Hoekema for example says here:

“The apostasy will occur within the ranks of the members of the visible church.”[1]⁠

G.K. Beal argues similarly:

“The point Paul appears to be making is that the visible church community, within which true saints exist, will become so apostate that it will be dominantly filled with people who profess to be Christian but really are not. The church will continue to profess to be Christian but most in it will actually not be true believers.”⁠[2]

The Great Apostasy appears to function as an end times trigger

In both Matthew 24 and 2 Thessalonians 2 this Great Apostasy is associated with events immediately prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus says:

“And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another…. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:10–14 ESV)

 

Just to say that to me it has not been all that clear because it seemed that a falling away might mean that suddenly people stopped believing in the One True God! In my mind, it felt like folks would be dubious because they discovered that “other worlds” were inhabited. But then, what does an old woman know? It would not bother me to find that God had populated other planets when we have so much in this world that is unexplainable! For that matter, what if we discovered that God had created different planes of existence in time and space? Does that make Him any less a creator? Not to worry. Betting the thief on the cross next to Christ had very little understanding, but because he called on Jesus Christ to save him, he will be there with Christ!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.