Monday musings

 

 Even though I feel that I have less to share than usual -- the hot humid weather has likely addled my brain -- I wanted to pop in with a brief Monday musings post just to touch base with everyone.

Yes, it's hot and humid here these days.  Last week we had a couple of nice cool days that were just wonderful.  Sunny, but breezy and cool.  I really wouldn't mind if the rest of the summer turned out to be just like that.

My hubby and I stayed at our little camp again, to catch every available breeze and bit of coolness through the night.  This morning we enjoyed coffee and our quiet time by the campfire.  We hope to stay at our camp one or two nights each week, and to make one of the mornings a leisurely one like this.  (Photo below is from a previous summer in our own back yard.)

We always loved having our devotional times outdoors when we were camping, and tried to do so on some Saturday mornings at home, but often there wasn't time to build a campfire.  Now that we are retired, we can enjoy something like this more often -- maybe once a week or so, as life is still very busy. 

Last evening our daughter and the 4 kids came over (some walked, some biked) and we just enjoyed a nice visit outdoors where there was a bit of a breeze under the trees.   We've brought over some vintage wooden (and other) lawn chairs and and a wood glider from Tractor Supply that's been on our porch for years but was seldom used.  It will get a lot more use at the cottage.  Now we have outdoor seating for a crowd.

Anyone else finding it tiresome to cook on these hot humid evenings?  We are eating a lot of sandwiches and salads. Alfresco Bean Salad  is a wonderful healthy side for any sandwich.  

I recently made a large batch of this, along with a simple pasta salad, for my friend Jenn who just had a baby.  It was a hot week like this one, and she loved having cold foods all ready to eat.  You can find the recipe for the pasta salad in this post: Supper on the deck.

 Saturday we attended a graveside service for an extended family member.  We were blessed that the rain held off, the day stayed overcast (it was so hot and humid the sun would have been brutal), and that we could see so many of Mr. T's siblings and their families.  It was a blessing to see the outpouring of community support for the family.

Speaking of Mr. T, he has been working hard on the project of insulating and installing a ceiling of matched pine boards at our little camp.  I have no photos of this endeavor, though I think our daughter got a few with her phone the other day when Josiah was helping with the project.  It's looking good!  He plans to install a window in one end and also a floor and ladder.  This loft will be a fun and functional spot for the grandchildren to enjoy.  Below you see it as it was last summer:

I'll leave you with a view from one of our camp windows.  All of that green is so soothing ... and there is a green view from every window!

Sunday Scripture

 

 Here's another Sunday post from my Fall 2020 study of 2 Corinthians with Good Morning Girls.  This is the eleventh such post -- just a few more to go!   As mentioned previously, I use the SOAP method of Bible study , and their study guide uses a similar method.  I find this helpful for a quick little study such as this one, but even more for digging into passages more deeply.

For today, the verse to study was 2 Corinthians 11:14, but I opted to study both verses 13 and 14.

S=  "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ; 

"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."  (2 Corinthians 11:13-14)

O=  C.I. Scofield titles the section of chapter 11 from verses 3 through 15: "Warning against false teachers".  Here in verse 13 Paul calls them false apostles and deceitful workers who make themselves look and sound like apostles of Christ.  He then adds that this is not surprising, because Satan himself -- the very one these people are serving -- can transform himself into an angel of light to deceive believers.  It is just one of the devices he uses.

A=  More than ever, today false teachers abound -- and, I think mostly because of the internet, are able to deceive and affect more people.  That's why it's so important to know God's Word well so we can recognize false teachings when we hear or read them.  We also need to be willing to do our homework concerning authors, Bible teachers, and so on.  In light of recent events in our country, some who call themselves "evangelicals" are showing themselves to actually be false teachers.

P=  "Lord, I pray that You will help me to be wise and discerning when it comes to Christian authors, bloggers, and Bible teachers.  Help me to remember that not everyone who carries this label is truthful, and that I need to know Your Word very well to be able to recognize false teaching.  Help me to spend the time in Your Word that will help me to be discerning, and to take time to find out where these people stand before blindly following them.  I thank You for the wisdom You will give, in Jesus' name, Amen."

I hope that this simple study is as helpful to someone else as it was to me!

Monday musings

 

 Just a few Monday musings to look back over the week and especially the weekend.

Mr. T spent much of last week helping to paint the exterior of the family cottage above.  He and one of my cousins took on this project for this summer.  It has needed to be done for quite awhile.  They had blocked out a week to complete it, but the first two days were rainy.  Thankfully, they had gotten a head start the week previous when the cottage happened to be unoccupied. (Extended family members book time at this family cottage each summer and fall.)   It came out so nice.  Really thankful they were able to complete this project.   Below is a side view.  You can see they had perfect weather part of the time.

 I've been slogging away on posts for Christmas in July over at my Christmas blog.  I have a half dozen written and scheduled, with more in the works.

 Our weekend was really nice.  On Saturday morning, we went out for breakfast with visiting friends from Wisconsin.  What a treat!  Yummy food, fantastic fellowship, and maybe best of all, not a mask in sight.  We are so thankful for dear old friends who we can instantly reconnect with.

Saturday afternoon, we had some time with my nephew, visiting from Arizona.   We were excited to show him the little camp we are fixing up, a place he had not seen in many years.

Then on Sunday,  we had a nice day in church.  In addition to Sunday School and morning worship at our own church, we were blessed to attend an afternoon worship service at Grace Baptist and hear a message from one of the counselors at The Wilds of New England.  The last Patch the Pirate Club presentation of the year was also going on -- two of our grandkids took part -- and all of this was followed by a special Father's Day meal.

We rounded out the day with a campfire and family time at our little camp.  For Father's Day, our daughter and family gave my hubby a fun patriotic apron to use when he bakes his famous cookies.

Mr. T and I then spent the night at the camp, where we were able to sleep with windows open to a refreshing breeze.  This morning we enjoyed coffee at the campfire.  What a treat!  We are feeling incredibly blessed!

Sunday Scripture

 

 Here goes with another Sunday post from my Fall 2020 study of 2 Corinthians with Good Morning Girls.  This is the tenth such post.  (Since I had my own graphic for this verse -- made with Canva -- I can take a break from the fall-like graphics!) As mentioned previously, I use the SOAP method of Bible study , and their study guide uses a similar method.  For 2 Corinthians chapter 10, the verse to study was verse 5, but I opted to study both verses 4 and 5.  

S= "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds),
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

O= In verse 3 Paul notes that though we live and work in this flesh, our war with sin does not need to be fought with fleshly, carnal weapons.  Instead, the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God.  They are mighty enough for: 

* pulling down strongholds
* casting down imaginations
* casting down high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God
* bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

A= Our weapons include things like truth, righteousness, prayer, God's Word, and especially the shield of faith with which we quench Satan's fiery darts.  We cannot fight spiritual battles with fleshly weapons.  But when we put on the armor of God, we can effectively fight our spiritual battles and be victorious.  We can pull down strongholds in our lives.  We can cast down imaginations and lofty opinions.  It is even possible to bring every one of our thoughts into captivity and make them obedient and pleasing to Christ.

P= "Lord, I am so thankful for the practicality of Your Word.  I'm so thankful for the clear teaching that we cannot fight our spiritual battles in our own very limited strength, but can take up Your armor to fight effectively and win.  I pray that you will help me to pull down longstanding strongholds in my life and to make my every thought obedient to You.  I thank You for all You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

Monday musings

 

Image by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings.  Perfect for Flag Day!

 

 Just a few musings on this rainy-ish Monday that can't seem to make up its mind.  The scent of baking cookies is in the air as my hubby, inspired by the cool day, whips up a double batch of Chocolate Mint Crisps.  This has been on his to-do list for weeks.  He has so many people he wants to share some cookies with!

One of the cookie jars at our little camp is nearly empty of these (the other contains Oreos in the Peanut Butter Pie flavor) and they are much enjoyed by the grandchildren.  Last week, Arielle (age 6) was meditatively nibbling at a cookie and offered this observation:  "I think these might be my favorite cookies."

This morning, the flag wave group Mr. T is part of met for a special flag wave in honor of Flag Day.  At least one sign read,  "Happy Birthday Mr. President"!  The photo below is just a shot of a few of the folks at Saturday's flag wave.  They have been doing this on Saturday mornings for many months now and they always get an overwhelmingly positive response.

We had a nice weekend -- Saturday we went to an outdoor concert our granddaughter was in -- sadly, I got no pictures.  On Sunday we enjoyed services at our own church, as well as at Grace Baptist in the afternoon, where the same granddaughter was playing a solo on her violin.  Such a blessing to spend time with other believers around God's Word, worshiping Him in song, and just enjoying Christian fellowship.

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables is a recipe I've made a couple of times this summer.  

 

It makes a great light main dish and uses a lot of nice fresh vegetables.  I like that it includes eggplant and yet is so much easier than making eggplant parmesan or moussaka.  There's an herb drizzle that goes on at the end and adds a ton of flavor.

 Speaking of flavor, our chives are in blossom and I am so tickled to have a great recipe to make them into Chive Blossom Vinegar.   I made some a couple years ago.  It comes out a pretty pink and adds nice flavor to a salad.

I'm beginning to work on Christmas in July posts for my Christmas blog, Mrs. T's Christmas Kitchen. 

 

 As I began writing and scheduling the posts for July, I got to wondering how many years I have been doing this Christmas in July thing.  A little research revealed that 2021 will be the 10th year.  I'm thinking some celebratory gifting to blog readers may be in order.  We will see!

Guess those are all the musings I have time for today.  What's happening in your world today?