This is the last summer weekend as fall officially arrives in Northeast Ohio Thursday, October 3rd when it will be rainy with a high of 65 degrees.
Until then we are blessed with more 70’s, 80’s and even a 90 degree day with some rain. Expect people to play hooky from work (like the Cleveland Indians did) this week so they can seize the last of the summer weather.
Changes
Personally, I am NOT ready for long sleeves and sweaters. I hate being cold because being cold means I am unloved. I have always felt this way. Yes, I know that being God’s daughter means He loves me even when the whole world does not.
Cool mornings and warm afternoons will give way to cooler days and even cooler nights which means a change in routine. More time will be spent indoors. More time spent reading and writing. (I really slacked off on my reading the past couple of months and need to pick up the pace.)
It also means more time spent in front of the boob tube watching Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, (Amazon – December 6) Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (Amazon – November 1st), and the 3rd season of The Crown (NetFlix – November 17th). Other than those shows, I do not watch television.
My Fall Goals
Besides reading more, my goal is to spend 30 minutes a day on this blog. My tasks are to write and clean up and reformat old posts. After all, JoyReturns will be 9 years old on January 13, 2020 and she needs to be whipped into shape because something will return starting Saturday, January 18th, 2020. It brings me joy just thinking about it.
I also looked at my stats and discovered a milestone on the horizon. Reaching this milestone is only a few blog posts away, so I decided to go for it. This means more blog posts than originally planned. Since I work in retail, I better get them written as starting mid-November, life will be very chaotic.
Fall Bible Study
This is the new study our church is doing this fall. The small group I’m in meets once a month to discuss it. All I can say is WOW! Read this book. If you think you know the stories of Job and Abraham, you don’t. I see the story of Job and Abraham in a new light.
My advice to you is don’t focus on Job’s suffering. Focus on the fact that He had faith, he repented, he forgave and prayed for others during his suffering. We need to be like Job and do these things in times of trouble.
Abraham’s story is proof God can redeem any situation. Remember, Abraham tied his one and only son Issac to an alter and raised a knife preparing to kill and present him as a offering. Issac did not struggle or protest. He trusted his father.
So shouldn’t we trust God too with redeeming us from our nasty situations?
Next up chapter 3, Jacob’s story. The book ends with Nehemiah’s story.
Highly recommend this book.
It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Ring
I leave you with the exceptional Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington performing It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing. I change swing to ring at the start of every Cleveland Indians baseball season. Thank God baseball is JUST a game and NOT life or death.
Now go out there this weekend and next week and find a way to win despite the obstacles in your life. Remember, don’t compare your life to someone else’s life. We are all unique individuals and what winning looks like in our lives will be different.
Also, God’s got this because –
…God is incapable of messing up your life.
Avril Vandermerwe
Bible Stories For Big People
pg 35
Author’s Note: I had plenty of snarky, sarcastic comments about the Indians season but decided I would be a good girl and delete them.
Bio: Michele Kearns is the founder and HUG© (Hope Unites Globally) Award-Winner of JoyReturns. She shares her widowhood adventures hoping to encourage widows to move through grief and rebuild their lives. A graduate of Kent State University with a Bachelor’s degree in communications, she’s used those skills while managing call center teams, co-facilitating a grief support group, and helping small businesses with various writing and administrative assignments. Michele is a bookworm, and a lover of history, chocolate, red roses, and golden retrievers. She is also the amateur photographer behind the blog OgleOhio.com
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