I can’t believe it was freezing yesterday in Oklahoma.  But, then again, it’s Oklahoma.  I covered my tomatoes.  They made it.  That makes three times it’s been at 32 or below this month.  Freezing in April !!!

Every time, I put the plastic covers in the shed, I would think, “That’s it.  Now the tomatoes will start growing.”  Nope.

Just when I think it’s safe to remove the covers again, it freezes.  I hope this is over soon.

All last year I kept thinking, “I hope this is over soon.”  What a year.  I think we all were wishing our lives away.  It’s like a year went missing.

The worst part was for school children.  Who ever thought social connections were such an important part of a child’s life.  I’m a hermit, so it didn’t really occur to me.  But after watching stories of the world of children crashing on TV, I feel most sorry for them.  They lost a year of childhood.

We will see the result of that for years to come.  You can’t reclaim those years.  I think of the friends I made in school that I am still in contact with. I was in the same homeroom with them only once.  If I had missed that year, I might not ever have known them.  Friends are sometimes even more important than family.  Especially when you need to reminisce.

Perhaps the thing that impelled the writer of Hebrews to put into words the things that he wrote was due to Paul’s visit to the disciples in Jerusalem.

In the book of Acts, which incidentally is the only true book of history in the New Testament, Paul gets into an argument with some of the disciples over circumcision, eating things which were strangled or offered to idols.

They especially wanted to retain portions of the Jewish laws for Gentiles to follow.  You would probably have to become a Jew before you could become a Christian.  

You would have to become a part of an elite organization that determined whether someone was worthy of salvation.  Sound like a couple of church denominations I know.

The writer of Hebrews puts those arguments away as invalid.

Jesus is all you need.  Faith in him.  You repent, give Him your life and trust in his power to save and keep you.  He puts his laws in your heart is what the Bible says.  

No more rituals are needed.  Ever.

 Oh, Happy Day!  O Happy Day!  Since Jesus took my sins away.

My friends and I have finished our color-marking in the book of Hebrews.  Pink halos for the word “angel.”  Blue for the word “Rest.”  Orange for the word “Priest or High Priest.”  And today, purple for the word “Faith.”

It is written like a trial.  There is a judge--God.  There is a prosecuting attorney--the writer of the book.  There is a jury--Christian Jews.  We know they are Jewish Christians from Chapter 3:1-2.

The writer begins by saying that the old method of informing people--the prophets--is over.  The new voice of God is Jesus.  The old way of informing people--angels--has been replaced by the Son of God’s words.

The writer then explains that if you wanted rest back in olden days, you had to wait, but now we can enter into the place of rest.  Then the writer explains that we don’t need Levitical priests--or any kind of priest ever again--because we have a high priest.  Jesus.  There is only one way to the throne of God.  Through the high priest who shed his blood. Jesus.

The book ends by saying that salvation has always been through faith.  He says that nobody was ever saved by the blood of sheep.  That everyone in the Old Testament was saved by faith.  And lists the people of faith in the Old Testament in chapter 11--the faith chapter in God’s Word.

Becky’s company--Swan Estate Sales--is having a huge sale this next weekend.  Go online and look at the pictures.  Sometimes I go to these sales, but they are so big that parking wraps around three or four blocks.

She has the cleanest, most organized sales I’ve ever been to.  She hires a professional photographer to take the pictures and you can look at everything before you go to see if there is anything you want.  She works it really hard.  It makes me tired just to see the before and after pictures before she gets it set up.  Cleaning out and organizing stuff is a big job.

Everyone in the family works the sales.  Stacy and Meghan come for three days from Pryor.  Makenzi, Stacy’s other daughter does the cash register.  I used to help by writing tickets in one of the rooms.  I can still do it if I have a chair to sit in.  She has others who are always there to work.

It has gone from small to huge in three years.  I guess you can do a thing you have never done before if you are willing to work really hard.  Becky works really hard.  Many of these houses are full of stuff that hasn’t been used in years.  People grow old and can’t take care of their homes and many of the things haven’t seen the light of day for years.

I think I am getting there myself.  Most of what is in my house could go right out the front door. There isn’t any dust on things in heaven.

 Today I am going to catch some people up who missed Monday’s Bible study.  We noted the words “Priest,” and “High Priest.”  In the book of Hebrews.  Here’s what I think the format is in Hebrews:

The writer is holding a trial.  He is the prosecutor.  The jury is a group of Christian Jews--we know that because Ch. 3:12 the writer says: “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the...High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus...”  Because the writer calls them: holy brethren partakers of our profession...Jesus.

They probably are part of the group that Paul chewed out when he went to Jerusalem and met with the apostles who wanted the Gentile converts to “become Jews” before they could be Christians.  The group was all upset over Jewish rituals and thought Gentiles should follow them.  They should not eat meat offered to idols, etc., etc...

The writer explains that we do not need priests on earth anymore because we have a High Priest in Jesus.  Over and over the writer says the same thing:  Jesus is the only way to get to the ear of God.  Jesus has replaced priests on earth.  Levitical priests and any other kind of priest.

That’s why we pray, “In Jesus name.”  He’s our high priest.

 New frustration.  I got up this morning and when the sun was past the window line, I realized I couldn’t open the blind.  The cord toggle was at the ceiling, ten feet high.  

I would have to use a ladder to reach it and my girls have threatened me if I get on a ladder.

Companies make the cord like that because of irresponsible parents who put a crib next to a blind.  Government solution: make the toggle so short that you can’t reach it. 

Government wants to make a law for every one in a million possibility, but not solve the things that affect us all.  Like holes in the road that cause accidents when you hit one unexpectedly.  I wonder how many children are hurt by that problem.  Certainly more than one in a million.

Government likes to make laws that cost nothing.  Rules and more rules.  We have so many rules that we can’t know what all of them are.  And they vary from state.  Some states still don’t let you turn right on red.

I wish we lived in a place where people just did the right things without laws.  Did what was right for the safety and courtesy of others.  However, I think that might be called heaven.

Today, my blinds for the entire house arrived.  And you know the rest. 

 The order was all wrong.  Instead of single blinds, I got split blinds.  And those don’t align.  The slats are jiggled.

What did I expect?  It was a custom job.

I had the installer put the one up on the East where the sun blinds me every morning when I am trying to do the crossword puzzle.  It was broken, and he didn’t see the break until he got it up--so he will trade it out later for a single and I don’t have to pay for it.

Frustration!!! At least I have a blind for now to block the sun.

The woman who wrote up the order called and said she was going to change the entire house out to another manufacturer.  One she uses that doesn’t make those kinds of mistakes.

So.......that’s good.  I expected no less than a complete adjustment.

The good thing is that in the middle of the mess, a friend called and said “Let’s go to lunch.”  Perfect timing.