Arising at 0700 this morning, Carla had to open the store this morning, so she had to leave by 0800.

Checked the temperature – 1*.  Both in the garden and on the porch.  It remained that way for a couple of hours, now it is slowly rising, 15* in the garden and 8* on the porch.

Air was clear, sky was clear, the mountains were bright under the sun’s rays. 

Birds are fed.  I have three hummingbird feeders that I rotate one outside every 25 minutes or it freezes up – I have to have a marker to tell me which one goes out next....

Nuked three pie plates of bird seed and fill those feeders.  Dog and cats are fed and watered.

Homemade bean with ham soup is simmering on the stove.  We used the prime rib bones last week to make beef noodle soup.  This week we are using the ham bone and lots of left over ham for our ham and bean soup.

The smell is tantalizing.

I will wait until Carla gets home to find out if she wants sandwiches or corn bread with the soup – either will make a rich meal.

As pretty as it is today, we are ready to hunker down in preparations for the weather tomorrow.  It is supposed to be snow of from 6-10 inches followed by freezing rain.

Oregon Dept. of Transportation is already warning people that they will probably have to close the Gorge for a few days.  Due to the high winds, and tall hills above I-84 this highway is treacherous when the bad weather hits.  There is no point in letting people go through only to find them either stuck behind a wreck or involved in one of the many that occur in that weather.

I-84 east of here, past Pendleton, is also going to get some real dangerous weather.  Sheriff Speelmen’s country was down to a minus 23 (officially) last night and they are also supposed to get some winter mix – read snow and freezing rain.

So, we will have our homemade soup, and keep warm with the four legged animals.

Truly thankful for the furnace!

-- Just changed the hummingbird feeders and noted a few tiny snowflakes (at 12*) looked to the west and we have clear skies, looked back to the east and realized clouds are starting to row in.  We shall see what comes.

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“What exactly does it mean to love God? The Greek word for love used in the Gospel of Matthew has more to do with commitment than with feeling. It is to commit oneself, to give oneself over to something, to put something first. The command to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, then, would mean to totally and wholeheartedly commit ourselves to Him as being first in our lives.” – Living His Word, Weekly Devotion

Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  KJV

There are times I wonder if I really am in love with God. 

I love Carla, my kids and grandkids, even pets that I have or have had, I can feel the love within me, I can feel the reciprocation from them.

It is an emotional thing, a physical thing, I have contact with these people and I can see, hear and feel them in my life.

God is a spirit and we must worship Him in the spirit.

John 4:23-24  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

²⁴ God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

This love is truly different.  It comes from deep within us with the realization that God loves us, He loved us so much He sacrificed His only begotten Son.

He expects us to accept Jesus as the Christ, as the Messiah.  He expects us to follow His commands and edicts.  He expects us to love Him.

Oh, we can make that love an emotional thing – and it often is, when we are so close to Him we feel His Spirit and it stirs us to the very bottom of our being, it IS emotional.

But this love is of our will; we either do or don’t love Him.

When we need to be reminded we find ourselves reading scriptures that deal with the difference – and that is not a coincidence, it is one of the ways God speaks to us.

Our love towards Him is shown by and comes from the dedication to do His will, to obey Him.

In the world we would call what God expects of us, a dictatorship; the ruler demands that we comply, or we will suffer serious consequences.

But it isn’t love the dictatorship shows, it is power, it is control over people.  We often see this same method used by bosses who have no desire to listen, only expect immediate obedience.  Employees are just a means to an end and once used up they are cast away.

God’s love is proven by His demonstrated desire to free us from the bondage of sin and to surround us in the arms of His Holy Spirit.  He shows His love for us.  He expects us to show our love for Him, by obeying Him, putting Him first, our neighbors second and the rest of the world will fall into its proper place.

God’s Word is full of examples of how He will help those that come to Him and have Him first in their lives.  Sometimes those people have gone through harsh trials and tribulations, but God has always been with them and in the end they emerge victorious over the world.

Yes there are times I question myself, but when I go to Him, I find that deep love and appreciation for Him is rewarded by the knowledge He is with me, forever.

Later, Art (-: