Ecclesiastes

Barnes sums up a passage from Ecclesiastes well: "Unforeseen events come from God; and the man who is always gazing on the uncertain future will neither begin nor complete any useful work: but do thou bear in mind that times and circumstances, the powers of nature and the results to which they minister, are in the hand of God; and be both diligent and trustful."

Refreshed 2017

After spending 3 weeks in the U.S., I have come back refreshed and with a little different view of things. I have a regular home-making type thing to do (finishing a quilt). I am following a more or less regular sleep pattern, and have somewhat less stress than the last few years. EXCEPT for one horrible evening of restless leg-arm-everything, which was caused by taking a nap too late in the day, so the evening was messed up. If you look up RLS on the internet, you don't find good explanations, but I can tell you it is something horrible.

And EXCEPT for Independence Day, when just below my window several men were all talking at once loudly for several hours--until 2:20 in the morning!

Then they went inside, and we had our last (I presume) rain of the season, which lasted for 30 seconds. Now it isn't going to rain anymore, so that means it's summer. Or it's summer now, so that means it isn't going to rain for several months.

All is quiet now, except for a loud boom I heard yesterday right outside my window. It wasn't a gunshot, such as when they blow up a suspicious object, and it was a clean boom, not a ragged one, so it wasn't a bomb. As it turned out, a bus blew a tire.

The only other notable noise is a large dog that barks occasionally, which to me is a sad sound, because the poor dog is probably a bit bored, and because dogs go with homes and families and they remind me of the good days that are past.

Beginning of 2017

Long time since I posted. Does that mean nothing happened? Does anyone care? What a small speck my whole life is. Yet at any particular moment, it seems like it's very important.

Looking back at my diary, which I write in only sporadically, I remember from January that a chiropracter solved a problem with my left hand cramping. A five-year problem solved in 2 minutes! After that appointment I went home and started playing the piano and I couldn't stop. I've had about 3 adjustments since then, and I think I'm about due for another one, though it's not as bad as it was before January. I probably ruined my neck from several years of playing violin with in ill-fitting shoulder pad.

I have found quite a few good sermons on sermon audio. Often I pick them at random, or because of their interesting titles, or something I am curious about. Other times by the speaker. Sometimes I think I will recommend to someone a particular preacher, but not every sermon of that man is good. As soon as I recommend Adam Adams, or whoever, Adam Adams will have a sermon that is just not that good. And if you happen to listen to that one, you will go away thinking Adam Adams is not a very good preacher, and I am not too swift for recommending him. But really Adams'es's's' sermons are mostly very good.

Actually, I suppose I could recommend Voddie Bauchman, Alister Begg, Konrad Mbewe, and Spurgeon. There are many others. You can tell from the different sermons that each is preaching to a different kind of audience, who have different backgrounds. Something of the flavor of each location comes through, though the basic truths are applicable everywhere.