Life on the Vine

On the Gospel for Asia website there are many free resources you might want to check out.  A booklet published by GFA's founder, K.P. Yohannan, in 2004 is available for free download.  The title is Stay Encouraged .  The booklet is available in PDF, as well as formats for iPads and Kindles.  It's a short 56 page booklet with four chapters.  In the third chapter Yohannan shares some things that have helped him during times of struggle and discouragement. First , think about the Lord , no matter the reason for the discouragement.  He references Hebrews 12:1-3 .  Yohannan writes, "It is when we look horizontally that we get discouraged.  When we let what people say or think and the expectations people have of us to influence us, then discouragement sets in.  When we look to men (horizontal) rather than to God (vertical), we easily become weary." Second , think about the good things in life .  He quotes from Philippians 4:8 . Third , pray .  He references 1 Th

Well, we did it and there is no going back.  Unbeknownst to either of us, the Friday after New Years Day saw the addition to our family of one Blue Heeler puppy.  It's not something we went looking for and it wasn't preplanned.  True, we've been talking about the possibility of getting a dog but hadn't gotten too serious about it yet.  And I did know that Tom was extremely interested in getting a Blue Heeler, which is an Australian Cattle Dog.  The week of New Years was pretty slow at work so I decided to take Friday off since I'd gotten everything taken care of on Wednesday and Thursday.  When Tom got home from work I was getting ready to go into town to stop at the used bookstore.  He decided to come with me, wanting to drop off his cowboy hats for reshaping at the Western store in town.  As we parked at the store, what did we find but a crate full of 6-week-old Blue Heeler puppies looking for good homes.  We played and held a couple and one in particular capt