Sunday:
Read Leviticus chapters 24-27 and recited John 1. Sylvania Church at 10:20. Sermon by Phillip Dancy, “The Angles,” Luke 2:14.
· Angels are spiritual beings with moral judgment and high intelligence
o Angels are messengers
§ Prophetic
§ Announcements
o Angels are warriors
o Angels worship God
· There appears to be a divine aspect to the “Angel of the Lord.”
o Chrisotphany
After church service we ate lunch with our friends the Anderson’s and Kriechbaum’s.
Monday:
Read Numbers chapters 1-3v24 and recited John chapters 2-4. While reading, it occurred to me how massive the Israelite army was. “So all the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ households, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war in Israel, even all the numbered men were 603,550.” (Numbers 1v45-46) 603,550 men fit for military service, not including the Levites; and yet, at the end of this book they are afraid of the inhabitants in the land of Canaan. I am not judging them with regard to this for no man knows how he will react when faced with a problem until! Ran for 31 minutes and 51 seconds covering 4.07 miles. I spent the day working in cardiac rehab with Andy and Linda. I got home at 5:00pm and Darlene arrived shortly thereafter from Austin with Daniel (Daniel is our 30-year-old son). I spent some time reading a from Sinclair B. Ferguson’s book, “Love Came Down at Christmas.” It is a book of daily readings for advent and is a commentary on 1 Corinthians chapter 13. I read chapter 23 of Ferguson’s book. We know love because God demonstrated love in the incarnation and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ his begotten Son our Lord.
Tuesday:
Read Numbers chapters 3v25-5 and recited John 5. The care and service of the Levites reminds me of Joseph and Nicodemus care of Jesus body. I believe that God is love as demonstrated at the cross, for greater love has no man than to lay down his life for others; this is how God demonstrated his own love towards us. Yesterday I read in Ferguson that Jonathan Edwards called heaven, “a world of love.” Love came down to earth at Christmas. Love came and dwelt amongst men in the incarnation and love has come to dwell in men in the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and men will dwell in a world of love at the resurrection. Ran for 38 minutes and 4v seconds, covering 4.87 miles. Worked with Chris in pulmonary rehab from 9:00am to 3:30pm. Being Christmas Eve, we had only three patients in the morning session and one in the afternoon session. One patient truly matters; therefore, I am glad to have been there. When I got home I read Ferguson, chapter 24, “The Greatest,” 1 Corinthians 13v13. The Son of God was born for us in order to die for us. (Ferguson 2017, 155) I would say that the Son of God was born to die for the righteousness of God, so that he could be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (cf. Romans 3v26) Adam and his wife whom Adam called her name Eve because she was the the mother of all the living were not cursed like the serpent, it was the ground from which they ate that was cursed; therefore, life is difficult in this world. It should not go unnoticed that God clothed them. (Genesis 3v20-21) As a nurse I have cleaned many a person of their filth and clothed them and there is much care in the act. Thank you, Father, thank you God for loving us while yet sinning. Lessons and Carols Christmas Eve service at Sylvania church. I was given the honor of participating in the service, I recited Genesis 3v8-15, 17-18 which has come to be known in Christian theology as the protoevangelium. The protoevangelium is the first hint of the gospel of Jesus Christ in Scripture. After the service Darlene, Daniel and I ate dinner together at “Casa Ole.” Darlene and I have not eaten there in quite a while. It was Daniel’s idea because he like the restaurant as a child. Imagine a graduate of a French Culinary Arts school liking simple Tex-Mex food?
Wednesday:
Read Numbers chapters 6-7 and recited John 6. Ran for 31 minutes and 57 seconds, covering 4.07 miles. Bethany and Daniel didn’t get up until 9:00am. I read Matthew 2:1-12 before we opened our presents. I was surprised my one gift in particular. I have encouraged Bethany from the time she was a small child to make me something for Christmas. She is now a high school art teacher. This year’s gift was very surprising indeed. She took an article that I had written about the Reformed Baptist in Cuba and pictures that I had taken while there; she took these and graphically designed a book that will arrive sometime after the first of next year. Secondly, Darlene gave me a bilingual Bible: La Biblia De Las Américas,New American Standard Bible. This will allow me to read my morning devotional reading in both Spanish and English. The overall volume of my daily Scripture reading will decrease but to read in both languages will help me learn Spanish so that I may communicate the gospel in both languages. We concluded the day by enjoying a dinner together, after which we played a card game.
Thursday:
This morning I read Numbers chapter 8 with the bilingual Bible that Darlene gave to me yesterday; the separation of, purification of and age for service of the Levites. Reading both Spanish and English together is difficult; therefore, I will read only in English for my morning devotion. After this I recited John chapter 7. Today I will be adding verse 6 to my memorization John’s prolog in Spanish. This morning I ran for 32 minutes and 13 seconds at a moderate pace covering a distance of 4.08 miles. I arrived to work at 7:30. Today I am ambulating post thoracic and cardiovascular surgical patients in the CVICU. Much has changed on this unit since I started here 18 ½ years ago. The oldest note that I have in my iPhone is from December 26th, 10 years ago, and it has three quotes from the movie Fireproof, starring Kirk Cameron: First, “You’ve got to beg God to teach you how to be a good husband and don’t just follow your heart because your heart can be deceived, you’ve got to lead your heart!” I know that I wrote down this quote because I was convicted that I was not a good husband to my wife. Second, “Good enough!” I believe that I wrote this because I had come to realize that I was not good enough. Third, “I resolve to let Jesus be Lord of my life, everyday!” This is the greatest resolution that a man can make and one that I did make the following.
Friday:
This morning, I read from the book of Numbers chapters 9-11 and recited John chapter 8. Then I ran for 31 minutes and 48 seconds at a moderate pace covering a distance of 4.05 miles. I did my daily Spanish lesson during breakfast. I am on the final lesson for the beginner course 1 and have had some difficulty with completing this lesson. I do not consider a lesson complete until I answer all questions correctly in a single setting; I have found that this works best. I am scheduled to be at work from 7:30am-2:30pm. Today I have 2 orientation appoints for cardiac rehab. This evening we are celebrating Christmas with my mother, my brother Jeff and family, and sister Julie and family; therefore, I will leave work as soon as the orientations are complete, but I will be dedicated to these patients while there. Today is a very important date for me; on this date 10 years ago, I made a decision to follow Jesus Christ as Lord. I resolved to observe all that he commanded. My heart (desire) was changed; therefore, I trusted in Jesus Christ and resolved to observe all that he commanded. I do not perfectly follow my Lord, I fall short everyday. I know, however, that he sacrificed himself for my sins, defeated death and rose again from the dead on the third day. I trust in his promise to return on the last day and raise all of his disciples to eternal life in the new heaven and the new earth which is yet to come.
Saturday:
Yesterday evening we had a festive time with Mom, brother Jeff, sister Julie and their families at our home. We had a large tasty meal provided by the Lord and cooked by Darlene and Daniel. We exchanged gifts and enjoyed one another’s company. Mom left early, she said that she needed to feed her dogs, but I suspect she felt overwhelmed with so many. Overall, I think it was a good time. This morning I read Numbers, chapters 12-14 when the Israelites rebelled against the Lord by not going into the land of Canaan as he commanded, except Caleb and Hoshea whom Moses called his name Joshua. Then I recited John, chapters 9-10. I ran for 1 hour, 20 minutes and 58 seconds this morning covering a distance of 9.05 miles. The Saturday morning run is longer; therefore, I ran at a much easier pace than on the week days. I spent the time meditating on Scripture. I began thinking about the Great Commission. It was the apostles whom the Lord commissioned to go make disciples and teach them to observe all that he commanded them. For this reason, it is the Scriptures that we preach and teach, especially the New Testament text, for these were written either by an apostle or one of their contemporaries. During breakfast, I competed Spanish lesson beginner I, course 1, lesson 13: Nuestra familia, review. This was the final lesson for beginner I, course 1; therefore, I move on to another course. We spent the later part of the morning and afternoon at Mom’s whom spending time with my siblings before they departed back to their homes.
