Again, Visitors - Thursday thru Tuesday

My sister, Mary Ann, came for a visit last Thursday. One week ago. She stayed until Sunday. Kate came from Auburn on Saturday and stayed until Tuesday morning. Of course all of that was mixed and mingled with Ann and her crew. Mary Ann pretty much came to see Ellie and Luke - well - that's not true. If they weren't with us, I do believe she still would have come. Actually I had been gearing up for a good, long visit to my dear Evergreen - but Mary Ann, being the pianist at Evergreen Methodist, has a little more difficulty planning a weekend - so we went ahead and arranged the date for her to come here. It coincided with my Aunt Mary's weekend away. Mary is the organist at Evergreen Methodist - So - there were 2 guest musicians who were able to fill their spots on the same Sunday.

Insert regarding my son in law, Steve, and the way God has empowered him to teach God's Holy word, the Bible. Mary Ann prerequested any of Steve's sermon CD's to take back with her, to listen to at home - we reminded ourselves all during the visit - and wouldn't you know - she drove away with none. I'm going to mail them to her.

Sunday was great - we're in Colossians and in that powerful spot where Paul says:

He is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn over all creation.

For by him all things were created:

things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,

whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;

all things were created by him and for him.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

And he is the head of the body, the church;

he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead,

so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

and through him to reconcile to himself all things,

whether things on earth or things in heaven,

by making peace through his blood,

shed on the cross.

Colossians 1: 15-20

Prior to that Paul has already written this:

giving thanks to the Father,

who has qualified you to share

in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness

and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1: 12-14

I cannot adequately describe how those verses affect me - they are so much of the power of God and my vocabulary is too limited to express their purest truth and reality.

Imagine. If we are IN HIM, then

He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness

and

brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.

In the Son whom He loves, we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Out of darkness into light.

Dominion of darkness into the kingdom of light.

He is the image of the invisible God.

And all that follows in those verses - He is the ONE who rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into His kingdom.

I have to close but will now show 3 pictures of Mary Ann's visit.

We also shopped for pumpkins for this season. Mary Ann wanted some white pumpkins after she saw the picture of mine on this blog. That was from last year. So, she got 2 whites and 1 green/pale blue pumpkin. I got a dark green pumpkin and a white one and a flat orange pumpkin. I'll show those pictures later. I'm in a rush so can't post those pictures, plus I have to show anyone reading this a picture of the apron I made. I don't ever ever ever sew - therefore, I am excited about this apron. I'm 57 and excited about a handsewn apron. Oh well. I want to get better at that, so perhaps I will.

If you are reading this I hope you are having a good day - if you aren't, well, we have those days, too. I do. Aren't we glad about all those verses above?