James Anthony Fusina

James was born last night at 9:20 pm. He is 9lbs 2oz, 21 1/2 inches tall; he has black curly hair and a powerful set of lungs. Rebekah is sore and exhausted after over 11 hours of difficult labor.

Jimmy

Sleepy boy, and happy Mommy



Becky's Due Date was Monday, the 22nd. Now, we wait.

Here is our daughter Becky about two weeks ago.  Now, we all are waiting for Jimmy to make his appearance.

Security

Psalm 91:4
He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings.
 His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

This was in an email that originated with Linda Dickson.

This is the 300th post on Stranger in a Strange Land

THE CATS ARE LOVING THIS

The cats are thrilled with all the new stuff that is coming into the house. What will they think when the baby arrives in just a few days?

Artemis loves her new bed

ONE MONTH

Today is August 18th. Just one month ago, July 18th was when I had my accident breaking my hip and splitting my ear. It was just about the same time of day that I am typing this, between 1 and 2 p.m. I am getting around using a walker, and sometimes a cane in the house. I do my daily physical therapy exercises for building up the muscles around my hip. It is just isometric exercises now, plus taking walks with the walker. As my leg becomes stronger, I will start using a stationary bicycle.


One burden that is weighing heavily on us is income. I am unable to do physical work right now, and have had to turn down carpet cleaning jobs when customers call. I have, however, been able to complete two jobs so far, having a helper to the actual work while I directed. I am thankful for that. I also have a couple of cleanings scheduled for the next two Saturdays with Ryan's help. I really need for something dramatic to happen really soon as far as earning a living is concerned. Business has been dropping off the last few years because of the economy, and our financial situation is in critical condition. I really need a good-paying job right now.

Becky in May (six months along)

On the bright side, our daughter Becky is due to have a baby any day now. Her due-date is August 22nd, less than a week away. They know that it is a boy and have decided to name him James Anthony Fusina. We have been calling him Jimmy. Becky and Don have been married for two years, and live in Pittsburgh, PA. I am not sure when we will get to see little Jimmy, but Sheila and I can hardly wait.


This ends my personal and family update. I have a book review and a detailed account of the accident (with pictures) planned for upcoming posts.

Bye for now,

Craig

What Drives the Sinner to Christ Alone for Salvation?

When the eyes of men are opened to see their sin, their danger by it, and the insufficiency of their own works to justify and save them, no object is so desirable to them as the Lord Jesus Christ. _____John Fawcett

Still Ridiculing Hitler, After All These Years

"You must be at least this tall, without standing on your tippy-toes, to go on this ride."

Reposted from: The Olive Press (Humor) A Division of Error On Page Publishing

INTERCESSORS: PRAYING FOR A PERSON'S SALVATION

I don't advertise it, but it is true that I love to pray for people. The kind of prayer request that particularly captures my attention and compels me to approach my Father's throne is when I am asked to pray for some one's salvation. If I am standing on a street corner, and Providence brings a friend up to me asking to pray for so-and-so's salvation, we go to prayer NOW, Matthew 6:5-6 notwithstanding. There is no experience quite like that of asking God to convict a certain one of their sins, and to grant them repentance unto life and faith in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

That brings me to something that happened on face book last night. First, there was a notification that someone  (whom I did not know) "liked" a comment I had made in reference to a quote from Tabletalk Magazine. (The subject was: not compromising the presentation of the Gospel in order to make it more acceptable to sinners.) But there was also a friend request from this same person. As a rule, I quietly ignore friend requests from people whom I do not know. I didn't know why I did it, maybe it was the fact that she was also a fan of Tabletalk Magazine, or perhaps it was the picture of a cute cat that she used as her fb profile picture (I am a sucker for cat photos), but I clicked "accept" without investigating any info about this person.

Within seconds, she responded with a message thanking me for accepting her friend request. We chatted for a few minutes; it was a pleasant conversation about church, being "strong in the Lord" etc. Then signed off.

About an hour later, I decided to look at the posts on my new friend's wall from earlier in the day, and there it was. A request to her "face book buddies" to pray for the salvation of her husband. I immediately did just that, and will continue to do so. So, there was my answer. It wasn't the Tabletalk connection; I've ignored plenty of those. Nor was it the cat photo. Many "face book" users have pics of cats. God was presenting me with an opportunity to pray for the salvation of a precious soul. I am humbled and overwhelmed by the way He plans out these things in our daily lives.

Praise the Lord.

Perils of Door to Door Witnessing

There are some neighborhoods where door to door witnessing is really tough.

Illustration from Calvinistic Cartoons. The caption is mine.

Eucalyptus forest, Mt. Sutro (San Francisco Bay Area)

Re posted from Photography by Joseph