Status Report: April

Sitting…on the couch, enjoying the evening sunshine through my livingroom windows.

Feeling…a little stuffed from the chicken salad stuffed pita I ate for supper.

Also feeling…sorry for my son and his wife. Especially his wife. My oldest granddaughter just came down with a nasty stomach bug, her third illness since her little brother was born mid-February. I think having a 18-month-old and a six-week-old is enough to handle without a series of late-winter illnesses.

Waiting…for a loaf of bread to rise so I can bake it. It’s whole wheat sourdough with sunflower seeds, sweetened with dark molasses. My son says it’s his favorite of the different sourdough bread variations I’m made.

Preparing…for the kitchen project. The plans are drawn; the supplies ordered; the big project starts next week. I think. I’m dreading living without a kitchen during the process, but also looking forward to having a new and better kitchen.

Still deciding…which paint colours to use on the new kitchen cupboards. I want to paint the upper cupboards white and the lower cupboards a neutralish colour of some sort. Like grey, maybe, or a greyed green. 

Thinking…I should take down the white mini-lights I have strung across the fireplace mantle. I left them up after Christmas to curse the winter darkness, but they’ve served their purpose and become a waste of space and electricity.

Enjoying…Easter lilies. It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve not had a cat living with me, so I can have lilies. (Lilies, you know, are quite poisonous for cats, and if you have them, your cat will eat them.)

Getting…my gum boots out. (That’d be rubber boots to most of you.) There are big puddles to cross on my daily dog walks. I love walking through puddles. And gooey mud, too, when the gooey mud comes. I’ve never outgrown my love for mud and puddles.

Reading…Ephesians and an interesting Ephesians commentary. I plan to post a quote from the commentary soon so you can see what I mean by that.

Thanking…God that spring always comes eventually. And for the place where I live.  

Round the Sphere Again: Standing on Shoulders

The Apostles’ Creed
I said it yesterday as part of the worship service. Did you?

Kim Riddlebarger explains why many Protestants still recite it.

If you are to set out those things that differentiate Christianity from all other religions, including monotheistic ones (for example, Judaism and Islam), the Apostles’ Creed would provide an excellent summary of those doctrines unique to Christianity. 

(Ligonier Ministries Blog)

The Church Fathers
Nathan Busenitz has collected thirty patristic quotes, “centering on the reality that justification is by grace alone through faith alone” (the Cripplegate). 

A Catechism for Girls and Boys

Questions about the Word, the Church and the Ordinances

126. Q. What is a church?
         A. A church is an assembly of baptized believers joined by a covenant of discipline and witness who meet together regularly under the preaching of the Word of God.

(Click through to read scriptural proofs.)

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