Monday, December 05, 2005

South Dakota Sites

 
Yes, it's our home finished(somewhat)for Christmas. I suppose everyone has heard and seen pictures of the "Zip" undestruction in Sioux Falls, SD by now. The undemolished edifice that was once a feed mill has an uncertain future due to unforeseen difficulties encountered during a recent demolition effort. The cold weather also plays havoc with fireworks as evidenced by the recent mishap at St. Joseph's Cathedral. We're pressing 10 below zero outside as I write. It's a little early in the year for temperatures this low, but nothing that we have not experienced in the past. Nearly 6000 people are still without power according to one source. That's in an area 70 miles west of our location here on the Great American Desert. My only comment has to do with how catastrophe in rural areas never gets the coverage as disaster in populated sectors. That is the way of the world and it cannot be changed. We gathered for prayer at a friend's home this evening. Four generations gathered in a circle holding hands to pray for one another and for the lives of others. The gathering was the offshoot of a mini-celebration. The home's owners had just won first place in the annual Christmas Decorating contest. Life never ceases to amaze me! The interesting footnote to this evening has to do with prayer and how we accomplish that task. Our youngest was 2 and sound asleep. Our eldest was a bit more advanced in years. The important part for me was the sincere manner in which the 8 year old and 10 and 12 year olds shared the prayers as loudly as the older folks. I thank God tonight for the innocent way children show their trust in the unseen God. I thank that same Creator for listening intently to all of our prayers. I thank His Spirit for moving in our midst and keeping us mindful of the presence that transcends human experience. Most of all I give thanks tonight for the love we share and the care and concern we have for others whose names we need not know, just that they need our prayers. I pray you have many in your life who need your prayer and support. That may be the one deciding factor that separates the believers from those who are "members" of a church and little else. Belonging to a Body of Christ is a good thing, but it brings with it many responsibilities. Prayer is one of those responsibilities. Pray often, know to whom you wing your prayers, and pray them fervently. Our God who is in heaven knows us so well, and really does answer those prayers. Not always the way we might choose, but isn't that why we say, "according to Thy will, not ours?" In Christ's Love, Preacher. Posted by Picasa

Seasons In Life




Schedules have been altered, life has once again transformed itself into a new and different state on the Great American Desert. My fondest wish tonight would be for that state to be Texas. West Texas, out near Monohans, the temperatures are in the 40s, brrrrr. I remember wondering when I lived there why people bought coats when it was so warm. Winter changes a lot of people's attitudes out here. With the first snow come the minor accidents around town where folks from one car jump out to push others stuck in drifts. People slow down for about 24 hours. The insidious honkings at anyone's incursion on driving space ceases for a few days until everyone should be used to the road conditions. After that if you are causing a difficulty for anyone you are considered stupid and unworthy of a driver's license. Notably the ambulance and police car sirens are back to normal, none tonight. That's a good thing! It means people are getting accustomed to the season we are now in. The season's of our lives on a day to day level have a way of catching up with us from time to time. For me that is one factor that takes a lot of getting used to. (Why on earth does the back have to ache after only a few hours of shoveling?) The biggest mental change is in going a little slower(I don't mean in the car, but that, too), allowing more time for things to be completed, and not being so much in a hurry. Perhaps another reason why we move slower is the taking of time to appreciate the beauty of our newly aquired winter wonderland. The trees are gorgeous draped in snow, and the morning air is filled with ice crystals once again. When the sun chooses to shine the world sparkles so brightly that sunglasses are once again needed for getting about. There are Sundays when God's Word shines so brightly that I feel as though I need some shades to really take it all in. Attendance was down this communion Sunday, but the brilliance of God's Spirit was so bright we hardly noticed the size of our gathering. People are like the seasons we experience in nature. We are all going through different portions of the timeline of life. I love the enthusiasm of the older sisters in our Body of Christ. Their optimism is contagious! Then there are the young mothers, the younger mothers, fathers of grands, greats and uncles to many we must take into account. Each individual at a different season in their own life, yet touched by the same words of scripture that direct us toward a life which is eternal and transforming. Snow won't worry us, neither will the heat of day. Maybe it's the living in Christ that makes even the chilliest of days wonderful! Or maybe it's just that God is already busy about the business of transforming our human nature as we progress through our seasons of life. Whatever the case I pray that this special season finds you blessed by the beauty and wonder of life that surrounds each of us. In Christ's Love, Preacher.