Beauty and a blink

Ah, the blog deletes itself in an internet blink. Argh. I'll tell the week in pictures and bullets. Here's a quick reprise:

• We have a steady stream of guests. People drop in, between those we invite.

Beautiful gowns in a neighborhood shop window

• Saturday we host our first life group toward starting IES Bandung = brunch with seven others. I bake an artichoke frittata, spicy yoghurt chicken, homemade bread, and sweets. Dr W brings fried bananas. Sumathi cooks too, though she is sick to her stomach. Ibu A makes rice and cleans up. What a treat to have friends come by. (And to have a good helper.)

Life group participants

• We walk a lot this week - Sunday we walk 5 miles around town after service.
• We've made some hospital visits and run errands. Everything takes longer than we expect.

Confident pose: a young landscaper balances
between a tall wall and an iron fence to clip a 15' hedge.
Yes, he is that high up: the green wall is 10' tall.

Tuesday, January 27

We start the day by going through a potential house with building inspectors. They say it's sound structurally, though old. They find no termites. The ants are to be expected and kept at bay by spraying. But they say the landlord is asking too much for the lease in this neighborhood. We will move there if she accepts a win-win offer, quite high $ for here, but still reasonable for expats.

Considering our options

The leasing agent says that the current landlord, based on his non-response so far, is unlikely to refund our money from the remaining 6-month lease here.

Ants galore. Here. There. Everywhere.

However, God can do miracles - either by providing housing here for someone who is praying for provision ...  or by us getting money back. We have seen some astonishing answers to prayer so who knows.

A neighbor's bloom, shaped like a Christmas tree

From there, we walk to our first lesson with the language tutor before lunch. By the time he says 4 words, I've forgotten the first 2. That makes it hard to repeat sentences. My, this will take some effort. Maybe a new brain would help?

Wooden wind chimes help deter fruit bats

Then Oktavia drops by for lunch 1-3pm. She's moving to Jakarta, a real loss for us. Again, Ibu A makes a nice meal. How we appreciate her.

• Tomorrow and Thursday we'll be online with American friends and do some long-distance coaching. (I'm a certified personal coach.)

Everything grows in pots,
even pineapples

And that about sums it up. What are you up to?

Read more:

*I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously. Exodus 15:1 ESV

*Lord, who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For that is your due. Jeremiah 10:7 ESV

*If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 ESV

*We must obey God rather than human beings!  Acts 5:29 NIV

*If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 NLT

*For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:12-13 ESV

Moravian Prayer: King of all nations we offer our praises to you! We apologize for idolizing people and things other than you. May we turn back toward you and always faithfully follow you. 

Victorious Lord, you continue to protect and reign over us. Thank you for sending your Son to set us free from all sin and oppression. Let us never forget that you are always beside us. Amen.

C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity: 

We have two bits of evidence about the Somebody [behind the Moral Law]. One is the universe He has made. If we used that as our only clue, then I think we should have to conclude that He was a great artist (for the universe is a very beautiful place), but also that He is quite merciless and no friend to man (for the universe is a very dangerous and terrifying place). 

The other bit of evidence is that Moral Law which He has put into our minds. And this is a better bit of evidence than the other, because it is inside information. You find out more about God from the Moral Law than from the universe in general just as you find out more about a man by listening to his conversation than by looking at a house he has built.