Lending a Hand ... to Someone Who Hates You

"If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.  If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him."  

Exodus 23:3-4

If I found the power drill of a neighbor who hated my guts, my flesh wouldn't be inclined to return it; however, showing kindness, honesty, and concern for my neighbor who doesn't like me is exactly what God commands here.

If I saw a neighbor who hated me struggling to fix a flat tire along the highway, I can't say my first thought in the flesh would be, "Happy day!  I get to help my neighbor who hates me!"  Yet, putting aside my natural inclination and showing the love of God to a disagreeable neighbor is precisely what God is commanding here.

These verses remind me of what Jesus said.  "... If ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?"

My religion has no more depth than that of a self-righteous Pharisee if I refuse to show God's love to people who don't like, or perhaps even hate, me.

I've always been challenged and motivated by David's words, words that he spoke as a king who was hounded and hated causelessly by Saul.

"... Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him?"

Staying Fit on a Trip

 Staying fit while away can be a challenge.  While on a business trip Monday-Wednesday, I took some loop-style resistance bands with me.  I've posted about these before.  They are easy to pack and super useful.

These are the results of my Monday morning workout.  I did this workout in the room with just bodyweight and resistance bands.

The workout consisted of pushups, squats (with the resistance band), rows (with the resistance band) and lunges.

With a work session of 40 seconds on followed by 20 seconds of rest, my heart rate was pumping.

You don't have to have a hotel gym to get a workout on your trip.  You just need a little space and some creativity 😉.

For food ...

One dinner was a burrito bowl at Chipotle and two dinners were a Mediterranean quinoa bowl at Panera Bread.  I like the Mediterranean Bowl while travelling because it enables me to get in the healthy grains and greens.

Combines and Corn ... Lots of Corn

The past few days I've been in Davenport, IA for training on combines.  It was a profitable trip because I don't know much about these machines.

We harvested some corn as part of the training, and it was a neat experience.  There is no lack of corn in Iowa!

We got to try some new software that allows the combine to turn on its own at the end of the field.  We also used software that keeps the graincart alongside the combine as both machines are moving and grain is being offloaded.  

This particular header is 50 feet wide.  It's not the widest one that you can get.  The biggest is 55'.  That's like carrying a semi-trailer on the front of the combine!!

It was a good trip, but I'm glad to be back home.  I missed Sandra, our lovely home, and her good cooking!

Sunshine and Concrete Sealer

 

Today, the weather is amazing.  It's in the upper 70s, but the absence of extreme humidity makes it feel like a cool fall day.

Sandra and I took advantage of this and sealed the rear concrete patio.

We bought a product that was supposed to give the concrete an antique look; however, most of the "antiquing" particles simply clogged up in the nozzle of the sprayer.  The company is Direct Colors.  I wouldn't go with them again.  They said that you can and should use a sprayer, but honestly, even with a wide-tip sprayer, the antiquing material just clogged up the end.

Fortunately, this setback didn't prevent the grey stain from coloring the patio, and the sealer went on nicely today.  

The main concern was getting the patio sealed, and that was accomplished.

We thank the Lord for a beautiful day and perfect weather for such an endeavor.  

Wondering why the tarp is in the background?  Jagoe Homes decided to water their new sod today and the overspray was hitting the newly sealed patio.  A big NO NO!  

Devotionals, Leg Day, and Sunrise Smoothie

 

Sandra and I have read this book together, and I'm reading it through again in my morning Bible study.

It's a challenge taken from the life of Joseph.  The author brought out the fact that God was Joseph's FIRST pursuit.  Because of this, everything else fell into place, even in the prison.

He mentioned that we all love the product of God's presence and blessing, but we often don't want the process that brings it.

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for something on the shorter but highly edifying side.

So ... my workout wasn't really 58 minutes.  I forgot to end my workout session on my fitness tracker after finishing.

It was leg day, so this involved squats with one dumbbell, lunges holding a dumbbell, and weighted hip lifts.  Here is a basic rundown of the routine ...

5 minute warmup

Set 1:

60 seconds of weighted squats

60 seconds of single-leg reach (switch legs at 30 second mark)

side planks for 60 seconds

60 seconds fast pushups on knees

Set 2:

60 seconds lunges with one weight

60 second hip lifts with a weight or band

60 second bird dogs

60 seconds fast pushups on knees

Repeat every set 3 times and rest 30 seconds between exercises.

I have a smoothie almost every morning along with either healthy muffins or peanut butter on toast.

This morning consisted of a Sunrise Smoothie.

1 cup of almond milk

1 5 oz cup of Greek yogurt (mine was slightly sweetened)

1/2 cup of frozen pineapple

1/2 cup of frozen mango

Simple, but delicious.

7 Mile Saturday

Today was men's prayer breakfast at our church.  It begins at 7 AM.  Sandra came with me and did some reading in the car while waiting for me.

Afterward, we went to a local Greenway and walked a beautiful path that winds its way through the woods, under roads, and around quaint neighborhoods.  

The trail is 3.5 miles one-way, so this made the walk 7 miles.  We definitely got our steps for today!

We RARELY take an afternoon nap, because napping makes sleeping in the evening more difficult, but today was a nap day!

One of the young men in our church gave a message from Hebrews 11:19.  He focused on this phrase, "...Accounting that God was able... ."  As an accountant adds up all the numbers and arrives at a definite sum, Abraham had added up the facts that he had concerning God's nature.  His conclusion was God is able.

In Abraham's case, he believed that God could raise Isaac his son from the dead if needed.  The young man brought out the fact that the Bible doesn't mention a resurrection prior to this event.  As far as we know, Abraham didn't have a previous resurrection event from which to draw courage concerning God's ability; yet, Abraham new that God can do anything, and that He could raise the dead if He wanted to.

What challenge are you facing?  Remember, God is able.  The storms of life are many and rough.  We cannot see how things will work out, but we can, by faith, see that God is able.  We just need to do right and trust Him Who can do the impossible.

The Lord Watered the Seedlings

 

Labor Day afternoon, Sandra and I decided to reseed our yard.  They say that reseeding should be done late enough that the terrible summer heat is passed but early enough to give the seedlings time to take root before dormancy.

Wednesday morning, I went for an early morning run, and the sky was getting dark.  By 6:30, some light rain had arrived ... watering the seedlings planted on Monday.

God is gracious to give us rain just when we needed it.  This saved on the water bill a bit 😉.

Beside that, the approaching rain, and the dark sky were lovely.  The gentle rain reminded me of the caring and gentle nature of our Creator.

Favorite Chocolate Smoothie

For a healthy, satisfying, and delicious breakfast option, this chocolate smoothie is my go-to.  I'm sure that I've mentioned it before, but it's worthy of an encore.

1 cup of almond or coconut milk (use dairy if desired)

1 tbsp of cocoa powder

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup of frozen cauliflower (you won't taste it)

1-2 medjool dates (remove the pits)

2 tbsp of peanut butter or nut butter

optional- 1 tsp of instant coffee, 1/4 cup of oats (adds 3g of protein)

A Distant Wave from Fall

Fall isn't here yet in the south, but it did wave at us from a distance last Thursday.  The temperature didn't get above 75, and the breeze was cool.  

After days of 95-100F weather, the cooler temperature felt amazing.  It reminded me that the cool breath of Fall is just around the corner.

I was at one of our stores in the afternoon, so I ate my lunch on the tailgate and enjoyed the breeze and sunshine without the scorching heat.

Sandra tried some GF pumpkin-apple muffins.  They were quite good.  Give them a try:

https://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/apple-pumpkin-muffins

We eagerly await the genuine arrival of Fall!