Sometimes it feels really good to be out of the jungle! 

In The Jungle The Lion Sleeps Tonight

A very surprising Sunday is swiftly drawing to a close in SD. The past 15 hours have sped by with a pleasant harmony in all of my world. Whoosh! God has richly blessed our lives this day! I have no idea why I might find this unusual, that 'is' how lives are supposed to be on a regular basis. Perhaps the completion of so many projects in such a short time, coupled with the lessening of stress levels my wife and I both experienced over the past few weeks has everything to do with how we feel tonight. In my mind I can rationalize the contentment, but my heart tells me that we were a part of something different. Today was spent trying even harder than we do ordinarily, to 'be' at peace with all of our world. It began with rehearsal last evening. For the first time in far too long my wife, Cheryl, and I joined our gifts and talents to offer them in love for our Savior for the morning worship service. We didn't know it was happening when it started last evening at the church. All we knew for certain was that there was work to be accomplished the coming day and it was hot, humid, and sticky in the sanctuary. Even the normal things I do to prepare for the service seemed to press on a mutual urgency to finish the task and get on with enjoying our time together. What neither of us could have known was that no matter how carefully we tried to plan, God had something else in mind. I should have recognized the signs of a restoration day approaching when the cross mysteriously appeared on a painting I was 'not' in the act photographing. It all became clear later what had actually happened, and reason even explains it, but it goes far deeper than reason, as the artist pointed out upon seeing the photo this evening. For three days we have been seeing, without full recognition of what we were being led to discover. If I'm sounding cryptic it is certainly not on purpose, it is the result of needing more time in prayer to process the answers to prayer that we have been experiencing. The pictures of the big cats combined with the backyard full of little cats is somehow a part of the answer. Look carefully at the male below and the female above and you may see what I see. They both appear to have an expression of peace and contentment on their faces. In the back yard there are four little ones curled up with their mama on a lawn bed. On the couch is my lovely bride, cuddled up and comfortable, waiting for me. Across town there is the baby curled up in his seat, protected from mosquito attacks by a sheet of bounce beneath his blanket(we just visited there on our bicycles), completely content in his world. The other people that were a part of today's experience I pray are feeling much the same as the two of us tonight. The song "It Is Well With My Soul" comes to mind, and as usual there are a dozen others flocking in from the wings to join their voices in a rising chorus of praise. The photo above shows the female(lioness?), and I have a hunch she is looking with satisfaction toward tomorrow and pondering the possibilities it may hold for the future. This is as it should be, the female of any species being the more practical minded of a couple. I give thanks for all in our lives and encourage others to do likewise. How was it that other song went? Juke box for a brain says, "Don't worry, be happy!" In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Large Or Small, A Cat Is Still Just That, A Cat! 

Finding The Pressure Release Valve On Life's Overheating Systems! 

Personal Prioritizations For The Day!

The times when life is at it's busiest and everything around you seems to be moving at too great a speed offers a rare opportunity. Quite a while back a fellow by the name of Paul wrote a letter advising us to make our physical beings subject to the spirit rather than the other way around. Our bodies do seem to control a great many facets of our lives, from the simple hungers and less simple cravings to the pleasures and pains of our existence. Paul wanted us to fast in an attempt to make the body subject to the will. He knew without a doubt that it was possible to do so. Each of us has the power within ourselves to withdraw from the pace we are setting internally. How often have you heard someone say, "Things are moving so fast I can't think," or a similar phrase? That is the precise time we need to be able to pull back, kind of like letting up on the throttle and coasting to a stop. This action won't halt the speed at which the rest of the world is moving, but it will allow us to become observers for however long, instead of participants. This slowing down also provides us with an opportunity to use our ability for discernment to reevaluate the moment. There are those periods when we are rushing headlong through life and haven't taken one moment to consider what may be around the next curve or over the next hill, and even our vision becomes a tunnel with no end in sight. The world doesn't do this to us, we allow it to happen! Much in the same manner that we allow ourselves to become so wrapped up in living that we have no time for life! Maybe that is one more reason we need God, a reminder to slow down and ease back, do a check on our progress, and seek counsel from the source of all wisdom. Paul also wrote to us about running a "good" race, and fighting the "good" fight. To do this well we need to make pit stops regularly and perform needed maintenance to prepare ourselves for continuing the journey. I know, it's hard to watch everyone else continuing on without you for a moment, but in the long run you'll catch up, and you will pass many who haven't taken a break. Sunday is a great day to make that pit stop, but there are six other days available as well. The more hectic life becomes, the greater our need to pause to get our bearings and keep our wits about us. The world we live in is not going to provide us the opportunity to stop, it is going to insist that you keep on keeping on! So it is of our own volition that we make the conscious choice to take care of our vehicles. If this all sounds like old fashioned common sense, I'm glad, because I believe it is! The race is not always won by the most swift, and life will only be so long. Ride it well! God bless, Preacher.

Made Entirely Of Ratan This Life Size Work Of Art Took Longer To Construct Than The Real Thing! 

Creating Memories To Take Home Out Of Moments Spent Away!