Well, I thought I was going to be able to get this Bible study back on schedule and updated each Monday! This last Monday I was in charge of running the raffle at the annual football booster club golf tournament. I thought I'd be able to go get things set up and come home for a couple of hours and be able to spend some time with you. Well, I ended up staying busy until it was over, and that wasn't until 5:00PM.

I needed to go spend the night at my mom's house and then didn't get home Tuesday night until after midnight. Sooooo..... everything had to wait. I had fourteen tons of laundry to do yesterday morning. It was my turn to go to my prayer partner's house for prayer. Then I had to get the fuel filter replaced in my truck. I had stops to make on the way home.

Then, because my rear end was then dragging along behind me (my own, not my truck's!), I had to take a short nap. I had more loads of clothes to hang (after taking in some dry ones to make room) then I had to bring them all in when they were dry.

Then I needed to iron the clothes my son wears every night. He got a job playing his bassoon in the orchestra that plays for the play, Pinocchio, being put on by a children's acting college. Then my husband and I went to dinner with some of his co-workers and the whole day was gone. (Did I wear you out? It wore me out!)

There are a few exciting things happening around here. My youngest son is leaving Sunday for London with the high school band. He will be gone for ten days. There are still some things that need to be done to get him prepared to leave.

Then, next Wednesday, the 8th of August my husband and I will be going on vacation. It will be our first trip in our new camper. I'm sure looking forward to it! I've been using different online mapping programs to map out our route. I've pretty much done the whole itinerary online. It has been fun. I look forward to the day when all cities have their own websites. That way tourists can get the full benefit of their visit there. Probably even locals might find out things they never knew as well!

We are taking some extra time to do some sightseeing. I've found some campgrounds that are right next door to golf courses so my husband can walk over and golf while I stay in the campground and read my Bible, or listen to praise music, or just enjoy the peace and quiet!

I really need a break! My poor brain is on overload. There have been too many things happening all at the same time. I've been having to prioritize things over and over because there just hasn't been enough time to get everything done that was yelling for attention. There is one thing that saves me from going crazy. God is my Rock. He never gets confused. He is always available to support me and to comfort me. He is a constant in the midst of confusion. He is always nearby. He never goes on vacation and never is asleep. He is always paying attention and can always hear my cry for help. Thank God for God!

Tuesday I needed to take our camper to the RV place where we bought it. It needed some warranty work done and we were having a window replaced with a different type of glass. I got on the freeway from my mom's house and the freeway was clogged! It took me 30 minutes to go about 3 miles.

I was supposed to go another 20 miles or so south on that freeway to get to my destination. It became obvious that I had to get off the freeway and take surface streets. I was fairly familiar with the layout of the streets in the city I was in as well as the next few neighboring cities to the east. I had to get south and east of where I was. I knew that I needed to find the other freeway that passed right by the location I was headed since I didn't know how else to find it. I was totally unfamiliar with the cities surrounding my destination. I also knew that those cities didn't have streets that ran north to south and east to west so it was important I find the other freeway.

I did know that the other freeway was east of where I was. The other freeway and the freeway I had gotten off of both headed in a southerly direction and joined and headed south about 5 miles south of the RV place which was my destination.

So, I found the nearest familiar street that headed east. I figured I would go straight east, get on the other freeway going south and exit when I saw the large RV place. As I drove along the surface street it changed names three times. There were some curves in the road, yet I felt like I was still traveling easterly. The sky was overcast, so the shadows being cast to indicate direction were not always visible. I knew that I needed to get more to the south eventually, but felt I would be able to do that once I reached the other freeway.

I was praying as I drove that the Lord help me to find my way. Then I crossed over a different freeway that seemed to be in the wrong place. I had thought I would reach the freeway I sought before reaching the one I crossed. I began to pray a little more earnestly.

At the last name change of the street I was on I began to see some major-looking streets running what appeared to be north and south. I began to ask the Lord if I should turn south on any of them. I remained on the easterly road a while longer. I saw a Marine Base that I recognized, and I tried to visualize where the destination city I sought was in relationship to that base. I felt like I hadn't gone too far, but I began to pray that the Lord show me where my destination city was. Within a mile I saw a sign that indicated the city hall of the city I sought was straight ahead! Hallelujah! I kept going. (Remember, I never actually changed streets from when I had gotten off the first freeway. The street changed names, but was virtually the same street.)

At this point I had been traveling this surface street for about 45 minutes. I had not reached the freeway I sought. I was beginning to get a bit confused. I continued driving and got a glimpse of a freeway off to the right. Then I got really confused. That couldn't be the freeway I sought! I couldn't have passed it without seeing it! It couldn't have gotten to that side of me without me going past it!

I began to put a bit more heat into my prayers. Lord, I appear to have totally lost my way. You know where I need to be. You know I am in totally unfamiliar territory! You know my needs. Please help me!

Perhaps three miles later I arrived at the street that was to have been my exit street off the original freeway I had been on. The freeway I saw to my right was the freeway that I had exited because it had been clogged. My destination was about 1/2 mile to my left!!!!!!!!!! GLORY BE TO GOD! He led me as straight as could be to my destination!!! The route I traveled was the most direct route using surface streets! GLORY GLORY GLORY! I had goose bumps for a long time over that wonderful kindness that was given to me! Whoopie!

It was a long story, and was much more exciting for me than it sounds in the telling of it. However, the bottom line is that God is a God of detail. Not only that, He loves us as a father loves his children! He WANTS to help us! He WANTS us to ask for help!

He isn't just a big Spirit King floating around in His kingdom called Heaven, resting from the work He did in creating the universe. He's not just sitting back and watching this movie we call life. He wants to be an interactive part of everyone's life! He is waiting for us to reach out to Him, to contact Him. He wants to be an interactive part of your daily existence. He wants to walk with you and talk with you! He wants to be your Father, your Friend, and your constant Companion.

He cared about the errand I had to run. It was not unimportant to Him. I would have found my way eventually, but He directed my path. That is the goal we should try to attain. We should be seeking to walk in the path that God has laid out before us. It is well-planned in advance and is ultimately so much better than the path we would stumble along on our own!

I plan on updating this next week before I leave on vacation. (As you know, sometimes my good intentions get waylaid....) Then there will be no update the week of August 13th as I will be gone on vacation. We will resume the week of the 20th.

Food for thought: Why do scientists refuse to accept that God is the missing link?

I had this almost done and my computer locked up. The only thing that made it was the previous paragraph! Sheesh! OK, we begin anew!

My 17 year old "baby" is now in London with the high school band. It sure was hard on me getting him out of here! He waited till the last minute to pack and was forgetting all sorts of things. Plus, some of the travel items I bought him a long time ago were missing and had to be located.

We just got his itinerary on Thursday and I was searching out sites that gave background information on the places they would be visiting so he would be able to know about the places he would be seeing. I stayed up really late two nights in a row. I got so tired I begin getting my packing for my vacation confused with his packing for his. Can you imagine the teasing he would get from the other guys in his room if he pulled my unmentionables out of his bag? Oh goodness, it makes me laugh to think about it!

Now I am trying to focus on getting ready for my trip. My husband and I leave Wednesday. That means the week of August 13 this Bible study won't get updated.

I'm very much looking forward to this trip! My husband and I don't get away together very often. He is a high school football coach and golf coach and he referees high school wrestling. My youngest son is in football, band, and golf. Between the two of them and all their activities we don't seem to have much time to go anywhere.

That's why we sold our van and bought a big pick up truck. With the front and back seat it has become our family "car." (Our other "car" is a Toyota pick up.) We bought a camper to go on the big truck and that is what we are using for our vacation. I'm leaving the camper on the truck as much as possible just so, if the opportunity presents itself, we can get away. Of course, that means my "car" is two miles long and I have to park way way out in the grocery store parking lot because I take up a minimum of two parking spaces. The good news is that I get more exercise.

I've been so busy lately I've not spent quiet time with the Lord as much as I should. I have been discussing things with Him and have been relying on Him to help me get things done, but that is throughout the day. The quiet time is a special time and I've missed it.

It is during my quiet time that God refreshes me. I can hear His voice more clearly than in the hubbub of the day. It is at that time that I give myself and my day to Him. I ask for His help in seeing that all the words I speak and everything I think and do are pre-approved by Him.

I often find myself losing my temper or saying and thinking things I shouldn't when I don't get my quiet time. The quiet time is very needful.

Well, on to the Bible study. See you when I get back from my vacation!!.

I'm back! We got home from vacation Monday morning at 5:30AM. It is taking a few days to catch up on sleep. We spent the last day at my husband's parents' house in Las Vegas. We didn't want to fight the Sunday traffic that goes out of Vegas so we left at 1AM on Monday. It has taken me a few days to catch up on my sleep.

I think I washed the last of the dirty laundry this morning. I still have a couple of boxes of things that need to be put away. Then I have to devote my attention to the yard. The weeds seemed to have known I was gone as they are HUGE!! I need to get out there early in the morning so I don't cooked in the sun while I'm having fun (???) pulling weeds!

I still have Nevada, Colorado, and Utah bugs all over the front of the truck and road scum all over the back. My house is a disaster. Sheesh. I need to clone myself. I'm finally making myself sit down and do this Bible study before the week is totally gone!

My son had a wonderful time in Great Britain with the band! He enjoyed the sight seeing a lot. He wasn't too thrilled with the food or the accommodations. I'm glad he got to go. It was the chance of a lifetime!

I went to a band parent meeting last night. It is weird not being on the executive board. I'm just a regular parent sitting and listening. I used to be "somebody" with my name badge. People used to need to talk to me about the scrip fundraiser I ran. I feel kind of strange and kind of unneeded.

However, I am helping the band, only not in a public capacity. I keep all the lists of names up to date. I have an alpha list of names, a sectional list of names, a list of names for the back of their t-shirts, a birthday list, and a few others. During marching season I help get the kids ready for their parade competitions. I call myself an "apron babe." I wear an apron with lots of pockets that hold bobby pins, tissues, lint rollers, safety pins, and all the other items we might need to get them looking tip top.

I am also helping with any sewing that arises. The band director and executive board people know that I am available if they need a body to help. Yet, God and I are the only ones that know everything I do. That's the way it should be. I am doing it as if I am doing it for Him. I'll explain more in this week's Bible study.

I better hurry and get this done. When my husband gets home I am going to get him to help me wash the truck and camper. I need to get things set up. If I do the inside, which it definitely needs, it takes me a minimum of three hours to do a good job. With help the job goes much much faster!

See you next Monday!

Oh dear. I seem to have caught a cold. I still have tons of things to do around here, but now my energy level is low! Oh well. Maybe I should warn my family not to point out things that aren't getting done. I'm afraid I might hurt them!

You would think that when someone gets sick that they would have more time to sit and read their Bible, since they have to sit to recharge their energy anyway. I feel so crummy that I don't want to do anything when I am resting. My brain is foggy. I'm having difficulty focusing on the Lord.

There are so many things about the spiritual world that boggle my poor human mind and sickness is one of them. I read things in the Bible that indicate to me that I shouldn't be getting sick. I see where I should be able to have the power to tell my cold, as well as the other things that are wrong with my body, to leave.

What words do I use? I believe I have enough faith to make it happen, but perhaps I don't. Do I need to find someone with the gift of healing? I emailed a friend this morning and asked her, "Why are there more questions than there are answers?"

There are so many things I want to know. Is God only revealing things to me as He thinks I can handle them? Has He given me the answers and I am too thick headed to see them?

Lately I feel like I've been in a spiritual fog (only compounded by the thicker fog created by my cold). God is not lost and God is not hiding. It is me that is having the problem. At this point I don't know what else to do but to begin a fast and zero in on His face. I'll let you know what happened.

Since I am in such a foggy place I don't think it would be right to do a new Bible study this week. There might not be much Holy Spirit behind it. I will just leave last week's here. Last week's got put on late anyway, so maybe you haven't seen it yet.

Whenever I get into a spiritual quagmire I have to take stock of where I am and what I know. There are things that do not change and are rock solid. I know that God is the same as He was when He created the universe. I know that He cannot lie. I know that I can believe everything I read in the Bible.

I have to review the things I do know for sure so I am not rebuilding the foundation that is already in existence. I don't want to be sliding backwards in my knowledge. Standing still is bad enough!

I'm looking forward to the good things I'll be sharing with you next week!