2001-06-12 - 5:23 a.m.

Last nite of my weekend. Must mow the lawn soon, watch s, get salad stuff later in the day, and wonder if g will be over in the afternoon.

My worries about listening to the whines seem to have been solved. I've been dropped, I think. 2d says it's no wonder with the vibes I've given off. But g knows I hate to be mushed over, and 1d and 2d are the same way. We've joked before about dhugs. But persistently and more and more often, I've been greeted with arms around the shoulder, coming up from behind and a face into my neck, arm squeezings and other seemingly innocuous gestures. I guess our comfort zone has a bigger radius than some. I finally got mildly obnoxious and avoiding, upon occasion and the message may have gotten through. The other reason for the apparent dropping may have been my refusal to listen to the whines any more. Both about Christian sisters, husbands, and older children. They were just becoming so vituperative that I felt I could no longer seem to give any support.

I think that's probably been the basis of much of the attention the last 4 years, which I knew all along and tolerated for selfish reasons of my own! Anyway, once my responses changed and a new whinee was found, I was redundant. My views about the trials God sends are also well known, and as 2d said, g has decided what the response is going to be to gtrials, which may not be Biblical. In any case, this is nothing new to me. It has happened before to friends. The story will unfold as before....but here, I stand, I can do no other. It saddens me in some ways, but is a relief in others. I suspect a lust of the flesh is in the oven, and may develop eventually as little mentions were being made recently, and other fashion indicators appeared.

Compassion rather than criticism, is needed in my heart. But founddations remain the same, I will not be involved in the churchy coverup I've seen in the past..I'm not sure this group will tolerate a coverup knowingly, but it's easy for the one on the scene to convince every one that the one not on the scene is the wholly guilty party. What's that old saying 'first one to the preacher, wins'?

This has started out to be a good summer in many ways. My interest in the yard is rekindled altho my thumbs are as black as ever. I enjoy going around and visiting and sprinkling the various patches. I may even go back to having a quiet time on the deck..but I am not alone so that may not happen. The Lord is so good to give soul-gratifying serendipities in the midst of the desert of our lives. Sunday's message was from 2 Peter 3 where some major comforts about unsaved deaths are located. God is long suffering and not willing that any should perish but come to repentance. Rememberings that Jesus is coming soon and remindings that watch must be kept. Three or four very important "be"s in that chapter. The room was packed with visitors too. Their response would be of interest to me. The gap between a group that stands on the Bible and groups that have sidestepped (I used to have a word for it) is widening. It wasn't that evident in the 60's or even 70's in the circles I was in. If you were born again, you knew there was a separation. It was throughout the group and was totally agreed upon. I think that a harshness and unloving spirit may have been the instigator of the drift. The Bible clearly says, time after time, that a gentle spirit is the only thing that can succeed in the separation area. It's hard for us to gently stand for the truth. We are all such warriors in America. Contending for the faith seemed to focus more on contention than faith.

My goodness, what a long pontification. I meant it to be a recital of events but---

EE's devotional

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