Unwelcome Visit, Unwelcome Guest

Day One: These two days of winter that have just descended on us have been an unwelcome visit from an unwelcome guest. Today the wind chill, also known as the "feels like" temperature, is currently minus 9. The sun is out and looks beautiful, but it not a day to go outside unless you have to. I am pretty sure that many people feel the same way about what God is saying these days--or any days, most likely : an unwelcome visit from an unwelcome guest. Most people have no interest in what God is saying, ever, for one thing. Not only do they have little or no interest in it, they also actually despise it and want nothing to do with it. I should apologize for being so negative, but I can't do that, because the bad news has to come before the good news. I fear the good news has been proclaimed long enough without the bad news preceding it for too long now. There was a time when preachers could talk about "sinners in the hands of an angry God," and people would listen and turn from their sin, but now it's different. Today, we are so "smart" we don't need to believe preachers anymore. Besides, so many of them are preaching lies and deceiving people anyway, it's much easier just to reject all of them. Also, we don't need to believe in an ancient book anymore. It might be the world's best-selling book, but apparently people aren't reading it much. When I say "smart," I am referring to all the modern technology, much of which we can seriously do without, but we like it. We're like kids in a toy store (I was going to say "candy store," but I chose the "toy store" instead because candy would be a real temptation for me, whereas toys would not.) I can't believe how stupid the world has become. I just opened my Venetian blind to put my plant in the window. It still has strings on it. I am very glad. I hate the ones you have to pull up and down with your hands so some idiot won't strangle themselves. Day Two: All right, well, a little better today. A lot better actually. Went from minus 9 to I think about 10 above. That's a lot better. Still windy though. Got out to the laundry room and got the laundry done. Yesterday I didn't want to get out at al, and the only reason I did was because I had a commitment to sing with my friend Abby at the retirement home. That is worth getting out for. We even went to Baskin-Robbins for ice cream afterwards. Today the high is supposed to be 44, yesterday, I think it got up to 30. Thirty, of course, "feels like" a heat wave when it's been like 9 below and actual temperature, I think was around 20. Anyway, that's cold still and winter should be winding down. Tomorrow it will be 39 for a low and 73 for a high, so there you go. I like to think about my ancestors on days like this. It always makes me feel so hardy and, you know, flexible and a survivor, or at least the descendant of survivors. I love being from Kansas. I used to think that meant moving to another state to live, but actually, I like it here pretty much. Maybe it's in my genes or in my blood or something. I'm sitting at the laptop with my coat on, though, because my thermostat is set at 64, which, if it would be nice outside at 64, why isn't it nice at 64 inside? I've always wondered that.The reason I do it is not for aesthetics or to sound hardy or flexible or a survivor, but because my electric bill was through the roof in January even keeping the thermostat down low. Last month I saved $50 and I hope to do that again in March. The rest of the year it's really not a problem, so I should rejoice and be glad, which I will do. Please join me :)