Sun is a shining in our neck of the woods!  We can see part of Mt. Adams and while white fluffy clouds are blocking our view of Mt. Hood, the sky is blue above it.  Milder temperatures has the blood flowing in Carla as she happily plays in the dirt!

Looks like the State Highway Dept. feels they have the hills stabilized enough to allow opening I-84 east bound to be opened later today.  While I was concerned ( and rightly so ) for the fire fighters I hadn’t really thought about the men who were trying to stabilize the Gorge hills after the fire ( and wrongly so ) there is footage of these men hanging down the hill on ropes as they dislodged rocks and trees about to fall – a job I sure would not have wanted!  VERY dangerous!

It does feel like fall, right now, love this time of year.  My allergies don’t act up quite as much and I can breathe easier.

Got signed up for the Medical Exercise program, it takes over where the Cardiac Rehab leaves off.  I will be on my own with minimum supervision, but I will learn to how to continue the exercise program and the use of other equipment.

For whatever it is worth, if you have had a heart related incident and qualify for a Cardiac Rehabilitation program offered by your hospital, take them up on it.  If your insurance covered the surgery it will more than likely cover the program.

It is a scripted program used in a lot of communities, but, the people here in The Dalles were great and it made the program even better, positive attitudes, professionalism – knowing what they are doing, and helpful advice with a smile were greatly appreciated by me.

Watching the Navy vs Cincinnati football game and saw a hummingbird buzzing the camera, never saw that before.  Our little guys are brave though.

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1 Corinthians 1:19-25  KJV  “ For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

²⁰ Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

²¹ For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

²² For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

²³ But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

²⁴ But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Why do Christians talk so much about Christ and God and living for Him?

First when you have a good relationship with someone you want to tell others how much you care for the person. 

We talk about our children – in our case also the grandchildren – our spouses, our good friends sharing what they are doing and how much they mean to us.  It is just human nature.

In the case of Christ, when you have that strong relationship, when you know what He has done for you, you want to share that freedom and love that He gives you and can give others.

Are there those that deride us for our ‘pathetic’ belief in a God?  Yep.

Are there those that try to convince us of how delusional we are?  Yep.

Are there those that will do everything they can do undermine you, your credibility and your witness?  Yep.

Are there those that will persecute you, tell lies and gossip about you?  Yep.

Are there Christians who have been humiliated, tortured, incarcerated, prosecuted and murdered for their faith?  Yep.

So why not just keep it to yourself, let others live as they want and not stand out from the crowd and invite all these things to come down on your head?

We were told by Jesus this would happen, to expect it – but that doesn’t let us off the hook to not proclaim His Gospel.

John 15:18-21  KJV  “ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

¹⁹ If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

²⁰ Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

²¹ But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.”

Because, ²³ But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

²⁴ But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

And because, some will be listening and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to them and their hearts and they will accept Christ’s sacrifice and live for Him.

That is why we do it.

Later, Art (-: