If We Were Having Coffee 8-7-21 #Weekendcoffeeshare#31

Sharing coffee.

joseph elon lillie's avatarNotes From the Vicarage

I haven’t done the weekend coffee share in a long time. Actually I haven’t participated in any challenges for a long time, but it feels like things are shifting and the time is right to start in with the challenges again. IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE TODAY, we would be sitting on my front porch at the Vicarage where I have drunk most of my coffee this week.

I would tell you that the renovation project at The Vicarage is moving forward. Our loan was conditionally approved this week and the design team came out to see the house together and put together a more concrete estimate of what this is going to cost us. So we are waiting with bated breath. Meanwhile I am continuing to clean and prune and prepare the Vicarage for the work that lies ahead. We of course are going to need to empty the…

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Nitty Gritty Reality Faith

Getting into the nitty gritty of it now

joseph elon lillie's avatarNotes From the Vicarage

5:20 A.M. get up walk dogs.

6:20 A.M. Pray and prepare for the big day

7:20 A.M. Get mom her breakfast and medications/ Make coffee for household/ Vacuum/ move clothes drying racks/ make beds/ sweep kitchen/ clean bathrooms/ move broken pallets from stone porch to burning pile/ Gather trash for dump run/ light candles to fragrance house (I love fragrance)

9:30 A.M. Meet with contractors and sub contractors to begin getting Nitty Gritty Reality framework into place. Here is where the dream begins to take on earthly shape and all the warts and pimples begin to show. I think this stage of a project is the part that needs the most faith.

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DREAMS ARE GREAT

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AND WHILE JOURNEYS CAN BE BOTH DAUNTING AND EXHAUSTING THE ACTUAL GOING BUILDS MOMENTUM.

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BUT THIS SPACE…

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The Vindicated Prayer Meeting: 8-4-21

Every week my friend Jody chooses the new name of our weekly prayer meeting in accordance with the Scripture the prayer meeting is based around. Here is this week’s prayer meeting.

THE VIDICATED PRAYER MEETINGhttps://fb.watch/7bF2XHSShR/

Here is the Psalm it is based from:

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
    listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
    it does not rise from deceitful lips.
Let my vindication come from you;
    may your eyes see what is right.

Though you probe my heart,
    though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
    my mouth has not transgressed.
Though people tried to bribe me,
    I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
    through what your lips have commanded.
My steps have held to your paths;
    my feet have not stumbled.

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
Show me the wonders of your great love,
    you who save by your right hand
    those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings
from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
    from my mortal enemies who surround me.

1They close up their callous hearts,
    and their mouths speak with arrogance.
11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
    with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,
    like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

13 Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down;
    with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
14 By your hand save me from such people, Lord,
    from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
    may their children gorge themselves on it,
    and may there be leftovers for their little ones.

15 As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
    when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

Commitment!

The project moves forward!

joseph elon lillie's avatarNotes From the Vicarage

The bank sent us the Mortgage loan commitment today! Yay!

Brenda and I signed it and sent it back!Yay!

So the Vicarage project has taken another step forward.

Now we can get this fixed!

And this fixed!

And this!

Friday we are meeting with the whole design team including…

Plumber

Electrician

Siding installer and vendor rep

Painter

Mason

Finish Carpenter

We’ve been asked to make some choices on styles of kitchen that will match the new footprint. I like this one.

Kitchen we love.jpg

We’ve also been asked to think about siding or painting. A lot depends on price but if we side I think I want something like this.

Queen Anne RevivalA 1902 Queen Anne-style house in Franklin, Indiana regains its turn-of-the-century charm
Photograph by Nathan Kirkman

Or this…

Do you like shake siding or straight siding?

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Gopher Gladness and Great Hawk Gasps

Here is a prayer story from the Vicarage.

joseph elon lillie's avatarNotes From the Vicarage

Today two things happened to me in prayer. As I sat for my afternoon devotions on the porch (which generally last at least an hour) I was listening to my meditation music, and around the corner of the steps came a gopher.

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He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him.

“Hello!” I said….and he was off like a shot.

It makes me happy that nature lives at my front door.

The second event happened around 6:30 P.M. as I was having my evening devotions. I was listening to the book of 1 Corinthians on my phone. The birds and the squirrels were gathered at the feeder eating supper.

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Eight or ten doves and several squirrels and a chipmunk were happily munching at the birdseed. Then, they were off like a shot. The rodents…

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