The Beauty Of Life Surrounds Us When We Are Ready And Willing To See! 

We are all "Standing In The Need Of Prayer," some just closer than others! 

Shaking Off The Cold And Damp

I missed the sunrise. I missed the sunset, too! The former I don't mind so much, I'm thinking that my body is still trying to "catch up" on sleep that it didn't get over the weekend. It can't do that, but for some reason it insists on trying. The scoot and I('90 Ultra Classic HD)had a shortlived opportunity this afternoon but ended up riding through a gully washer composing lyrics for a new song. I don't mind riding a motorcycle in the rain. The clothes will dry and the bike can be wiped dry, and while you're in it you never get thirsty. The rub came with the sudden drop in temps, and I should have had the sense God gave a goose to head for the shed at the first deep rumblings far off in the distance. I daudled and paid the price. The jeans will dry by tomorrow, the socks can dry after I take them off, and my spirit never did dampen, so all is well!
During the course of my first rural ministry appointment for the UMC(United Methodist Church)I was contacted by phone late one spring evening by the daughter of an elderly person confined to the local nursing facility. It was her father that she was calling about. She needed a pastor and she needed one right away! I met her and her dad about this time of the night in a darkened room where the next several hours were spent outlining the plan for salvation that God has freely offered to everyone. The elderly gentleman was worried about his eternal soul. He believed he had very little time left on earth(this was a Friday, according to my journal and he passed over on the following Monday), and at the age of 89 was 'fearing' for himself, and his entire family, who had been raised without benefit of a "church upbringing." It was well after midnight when the baptizing began, he and his daughter received Christ and were baptized unto the life eternal that night, but that was only the beginning! He had heard the sound of that long black train coming down the line and had heeded the calling of a heart that desperately wanted peace. At his funeral the Word of God was preached(per my promise to him)to his entire family, children-12, grands-43, greats-5, and an uncounted number of brothers, sisters, and cousins. I had promised him I would share his heart with everyone who attended and offer God's Grace. I won't go into numbers here, that is not the important thing, I won't ever claim that the events of the following summer were my doing, they weren't, the Glory is God's alone for the miracles He can work in people's lives. Entire families came to be saved, extended family members also came and were baptized(at that time I still believed in infant baptism so I've got some tracks to cover again one of these days)the actual numbers are in my book, and in God's book of folks whose names are now written. It was a blessing in my life that I shall never forget, and I share it here that you, also, may know that it is never too late to come to the Savior. What's the old saying, "better late than never?" I agree with that whole heartedly. You don't have to wait for the sound of the train coming down the line, you don't have to wait your whole life to take the step that leads to eternal joy, you can do it now, today, tonight! There was something in that rain today, a reminder of the baptism that is offered to you, and to me, another undeserving soul saved by grace. The truth is, none of us knows the number of our days. God bless, Preacher.

When The Conductor Calls Out, "All Aboard," We Can Be Certain Of Where We're Going! 

One Purrfect Day Deserves Another! 

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.