Sunday, November 25, 2007

Today has been a slow day for us. We had church this morning, of course, but we didn’t have Sunday School today since it is a holiday weekend. (We call it “Bible class” for some reason in our fellowship.) We won’t have small group meeting tonight, either. Other than those things, it is kind of a day of rest (which it should be, anyhow).
I never liked the idea of doing a lot of heavy work on Sunday. I don’t think there’s something inherently sinful in doing a lot of work, but always thought that the old Jewish idea of resting one day out of seven had some merit. To that end, I generally won’t do things like running the lawn mower, heavy lifting, hard construction, or the like. Nor do I expect my family to do it, either.
If I have to work on Sunday in my job, so be it. If I have to run the mower for some reason that just won’t wait, I’ll do it. But normally, I like to take things a little slower on Sunday. It just seems like an appropriate thing to do.
My wife has a second interview tomorrow for a job she’d really like to have. I have a first interview for a job I’d really like to have. Hopefully, one of us will be able to land a job this week.
I am really thankful for unemployment benefits. I know that they are abused by some, but the benefits certainly are lifesavers for us. I’m not sure why those benefits are taxed (income taxes), because they amount to only a percentage of wages and there are usually extra bills that have to be paid during times of unemployment. If I could change something about the system, I think I’d change that. Otherwise, Kansas unemployment seems to be relatively efficient and non-bureaucratic.
Staying with my brother is another lifesaver. I don’t know what we would have done had we had to find a place to stay on short notice. I can’t say enough what a blessing it is to be able to be here for awhile until we are able to be out on our own again.
We sang a song this morning in church that I really appreciate. The lyrics are below. I never can sing this song without thinking of our family singing it at the funerals of my parents, and at get-togethers since then. I didn’t even try to sing it this morning and just listened to the words. I commend it to you.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain

- Thomas O. Chisolm

2 comments:

Wayne said...

Jay,
That's one of my favorite hymns too, mostly because I like to make the words mine - they're so true for me.

I'll be praying for your interviews - trusting that something will open up for you both soon.

WDK

Anonymous said...

I don't remember if I told you this or not, but when we were picking out songs for the wedding, I told Laura I wanted at least one of the songs to be something that my family would know. She was actually the one that suggested Great Is Thy Faithfulness.