Last night, on the main Blogger help site, I saw there was an apology for the Blogger websites that were marked as "spam" last week. I had two friends that couldn't post updates because of it, so I'm glad the spam issue has been fixed. There's a lot to keeping these websites up and running. I'm thankful I don't work for Google (the company that established the Blogger sites). Those employees have a difficult and tedious job!
It's been a good week health wise. The Prednisolone taper continues on a slow schedule. I'm trying not to upset my body too much. It is in a stable holding pattern, however, I think that anything out of the ordinary may cause a flare up. Perhaps it's experience. Perhaps it's just intuition. Either way, I just have the sense that a flare up could easily begin at anytime. Strangely, it actually takes work to just enjoy the days as they come instead of waiting or "looking for" a flare up or health crisis around the corner. I'm so used to health issues that it's extraordinary to have several normal days in a row, much less a week or two. I praise the Lord for the days of reprieve, though.
I recently received this devotional book as a gift. The neat thing is that I've been wanting The Valley of Vision for some time, but the friends who gave it to me didn't know that. It was just one of those blessings that God orchestrated. The version I received is especially easy to read with dark, bold lettering on a very white background. It's also a beautiful book to hold with its bonded leather and gold leaf edging (I now have three gold-leaf books in my library collection). For those not familiar with The Valley of Vision, here is the summary from Christian Book Distributors: "Draw upon the inspiration of the elegant prayers of such Puritans as John Bunyan, Isaac Watts, David Brainerd, Augustus Toplady, and Charles Spurgeon, The Valley of Vision has been prepared not to simply supply Christians with prayers, but to prompt and encourage them as they walk upon the path of others who've gone before them. You'll relish the elegance of these writings as they transport you to the heavenly throne of grace. Topics include redemption and reconciliation, holy aspirations, penitence, and more."
The prayers in The Valley of Vision devotional are carefully written with each word having significant and precise meaning. Thus, I feel like I'm reading intentional and sincere conversations with the Lord rather than man's thoughts jotted down in a quick and wordy fashion. The prayers these men wrote came from lives filled with earthly sorrow, but hearts overflowing with God's strength, joy, and hope.
