Here it is. Are you ready? Halloween is gone, thank God, and now it’s November. In three more weeks Thanksgiving will be history and our Christmas lights will be up if Ingrid has anything to say about it. Boy, I sure hope she doesn’t fall! (JUST KIDDING DEAR!)
I do look forward greatly to Thanksgiving. I love the warmth of the decorations and the emphasis on family. I love Christmas too, I just don’t like all the push and clamor and emphasis on buying and giving. I do love the enchantment in the eyes of the small children and I love the way Ingrid makes the house look inside. Whether I’m ready or not it’s coming anyway isn’t it?
One of the great things about Thanksgiving and Christmas is the baking and other foods that happen at out house. It is truly a wonderland of smells and tastes. That reminds me of an email I got recently about the ingredients that go into all of those goodies. Let me share it with you.
The Art of Baking:
Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong. She's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her, and her best friend is moving away. Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers. "Yuck" says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are all yucky!"
To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!
God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart."
I think we all need to remember that at times. Some of the ingredients of life are not at all pleasant, but when we put them all together and see where they lead us and the end result we will be satisfied. Ellen White writes that when we see our eternal reward we will all agree that it was cheap enough at any cost.
Don’t forget that next Sabbath we will have the Heritage Singers with us beginning at 5:00. They always bring a good crowd and a quality concert. It’s hard to imagine that they have been singing and presenting the gospel message for over 36 years now. Bring some friends and come and join in the fun.
This afternoon at 4:00 there will be a memorial service for Mervyn Maxwell, former president of Pacific Union College. In fact Elder Maxwell was the longest serving president of the school. I know that there will be many people from various levels of church leadership as well as students who have come to appreciate his excellent leadership.
One last reminder for you: Don’t forget to turn your clocks back tonight. We finally get to catch up on that hour of sleep you lost back on the first weekend in April. So, you can either stay up an hour later and get away with it or you can sleep an hour longer or, last but not least, you can get up an hour earlier and do some of those things you’ve been putting off.
Enjoy this beautiful weather we are having right now. Spend some time with family or loved ones. Make a new friend on the block. Be a good steward of your time. We are going down to Mountain View tomorrow to watch our grandson play in a couple little league football games.
One last comment: John and Sherilyn and I, along with our spouses would like to thank all of you who have shared such wonderful words and cards and acts of appreciation during the month of October. Please know that you are deeply loved and appreciated as well.
