My Past Few Days

Idyllic. Madison, Wisconsin is somewhat idyllic. Clean store fronts. Neat streets with shady trees. Tidy yards with fences and lilacs in bloom. Houses off the set of Father Knows Best. Midwest. Music Manish. If I had no purpose in life other than searching for happiness on earth, I would consider relocating to Madison. It is that kind of place.

I also met some great folks. Great in many ways. But most of them were less than perfect -- surprise, surprise. Sin is present in everywhere. People without Jesus are still lacking a Saviour. Even in Madison, Wisconsin, God is needed.

But it was still a pleasure to see such a quaint, story-book setting. Quite nice.

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A few weeks ago I agreed with God that it was time to seriously confront some giants in my life. I looked at Judges and Joshua and learned that compromise is disobedience. We teach our children that ideally obedience has three components; it is instant, cheerful, and thorough. So here I am, considering that last one. I want to be thorough in driving out the enemies of God in my life. None of this half- heartedness for me.

Now, trust me, I was not so gullible as to believe that this would be a piece of cake. I knew there would be some difficult challenges. But knowing ahead of time does not make it any easier. Yikes! I have had some painful moments -- make that hours and days. And poor Rick. He gets dragged into this, too. How can he avoid it when we are one in so many ways? So, he is going through the mucky muck with me. What a sweetheart...

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Tomorrow is one of the May birthday celebration days. Merrick and Jamie were born on the 13th and 10th respectively. The month is lining up to be a busy one, so we will lump them together and do cake and presents and appreciation tomorrow evening. They are my guys! What a great and special celebration it will be!

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Julia has been tagged by Hallmark television! We are hopefully going to host a TV journalist on Monday, May 22. He wants to document a "day in the life of Julia Sinclair." This is too much fun, for sure! Will keep you posted.

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A good report from the doctor on my ankle. So far, so good. He is happy with the progress, even though there is still a long to go. That's okay with me. I'm in this for the long haul. Although, I would not complain about an outright miracle either!

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Some dear friends were raiding my garden today, digging up perennials that had multiplied and spread. One of them commented about how they were getting the overflow. In great kindness, she implied that it was a picture of her spiritual relationship with me, as well as other ladies. Truly, God wants us to have an abundance of truth, life, and love so that others can freely partake.

But we also had to chuckle as I pointed out all the weeds tangled in the roots of one particular flower. "Don't forget to remove them before planting this or you will have more junk than blooms." Hmmmm. That is a pretty accurate picture as well. It's the old addage: eat the meat and spit out the bones. Sorry, but as far as I can tell, I will be human for years to come...

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God is all my joy forever. He is my source of perfect peace in troubled times. When life is pleasant, knowledge of His goodness fills my heart with praise. In every place, in every time, He is my all in all -- everything I need, all I desire. His purity is beauty, His love is comfort, His grace is joy, His joy is strength.

Forever and always I will sing His glorious praise! May He be praised in all the earth! Amen!