These riders brought theirs on a trailer I would imagine. Considering the distance covered no forgiveness is needed! 

Hurricane Raises Spiritual Questions For Many

I was minding my own business, enjoying a late supper when the telephone rang. It seems the lady speaking to me was very concerned because her church attendance has slipped a long ways this summer and one of her friends had told her that the "end of the world" was at hand. I had to smile, I couldn't laugh because that would have been rude. What do you do when you believe that the world may be ending soon? "Call the preacher and see if he has some sort of inside information so you can get ready." I think this was what she had on her mind. Many lives are caught up every day in the life and death struggles of catastrophes. People react in a variety of ways. Some try to save as much of their worldly wealth as they can, some seek to save themselves and their immediate families, and yet, others will sacrifice their own lives to save strangers in the midst of the crisis. Sitting here on the Great American Desert it is hard to fathom a flood of the proportions we are seeing on the news blurps. I've been through a minor flood that affected homes and belongings, but never one that truly threatened life and limb as Katrina is proceeding to do. My caller had very real fears, mostly for what was going to happen to her if this was the end. I'm not sure she liked the response, but it is the only one that I know. We can't walk in fear, we must place our trust in God and pray for the very best in every given situation. That means, for me, that if you have received Christ as your Savior, and strived each day to develop a relationship with Him that there is very little in this world that one need concern themselves over. Surely death will take us all, and as for this being a sign of the beginning of the end, well, the beginning of the end starts for each of us when we know without a doubt that there is a "new" beginning to be achieved in faith. How much of our world is dying right now is not the question we should be worried about I suggested to my telephone visitor. The important "thing" is how we are living our lives and to whom we believe ourselves to belong. "The Bible teaches us that no person is going to know the time of Christ's return." It also teaches us how to confront our fears and place our priorities in an order that works in accordance with God's direction. My caller seemed to accept my explanations, and I have a hunch I'll be seeing her in church, again, soon! I pray that we are all doing the best thing we can right now for the victims of this storm, praying! God bless, Preacher.

My sister-in-law, sassy(Sandy), caught this picture of dad when he was looking for his glasses! Dad has Alzheimers and there are days when the only logical response has to be to enjoy the incidents and keep a sense of humor. God bless you, Sassy! 

Sheldon And Matthew, "On A Roll"

Sheldon and Matthew  
I'm continuing to learn how to use the new blog program, and as I do I'm also accumulating a bit of knowledge concerning photo images and how they react to different types of light and color sources. Now if I can just translate what I learn into a language the cameras can interpret, I'll be getting somewhere almost as fast as these young men did today!

What A Day! The Sun Was Shining! God's Son Is Shining! All Was Right With The World For An Afternoon! 

Enjoying Life First Hand

If there is anything more beautiful than experiencing the joys of life first hand it has got to be seeing joy reflected in the eyes of grandchildren. I captured a quick moment today, my grandson and his new friend Sheldon captured memories I pray they will both share until they're older than we grandparents, now! That's just one of the ways that God continues to bless our lives, the others are too numerous to list here. I had to laugh as I watched them going around the curves, the intense look on their faces could not have been any greater had they been participating in a Grand Prix or LeMans race(Isle Of Man for scoots). I still have those moments, myself, now and then. That feeling of intensity that comes with complete focus on the task at hand, be it preaching God's Word, or playing music in celebration of all He has given us to appreciate. Time passes so quickly when we put our whole selves into those moments in life that we truly enjoy. There are never quite enough hours in the day when we're sojourning in the land of infinite variety. If this sounds a bit like a commercial, that's because it is! It's a commercial about faith, spirit, and being truly alive. We never are quite so alive as when we enter into communion with our Creator. He made us that way! It might be an idea that you can't wait to share, an emotion that just must be allowed to burst forth on others, or the simple, quiet act of shared prayer that quickens the heart. We are designed in such a way that when we finally discover our wholeness in Christ we are brought minute by minute, hour by hour, into a fulfillment of joys that were never before possible. I thank God for the kids that can remind us of the feelings we had at that same age. I thank God for the opportunity to help them come of age in their own spiritual journey to wholeness in faith. In fact, I'm so thankful for the past few days that I have but one possible recourse available, and that is to share those feelings with you, and with my Lord. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Sometimes My Attitudes Aren't Right

Today I had to slow down and think about my attitudes so many times that I began to wonder if I would ever get it right. It's very easy to love and care about people who love and care for us, and very hard to love those whose very presence seems to cause the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. I should have learned by now to spot them at a distance and get out of the way before they strike, but it seems like I get so surprised(deer in the beams)that I just don't move, and then, there I am in the middle of yet another convergence of lines that require a decision. I want to be caring and loving, but there is a part of me that really doesn't want to get bit by that dog again. One of the songs on the new CD refers to sin as a "big dog" that is out to get us. It was one of those moments when I was truly attempting to put everything that had happened into a perspective that would make sense inside the realm of my spiritual being. Sometimes the process works, and other times it leaves me amazed by the depth of "not so good" human emotions that can well up. The pictures I posted with my writing tonight depict a host of mixed emotions. Both vehicles are white, both have character, and both look really cool in my eyes. The big difference is the "living, breathing, heart beating essence" of one, and the attachment that comes with the other. Loving something that can never love back is "safe" to do, and carries with it very few responsibilities. Maybe that's why there are so many love songs written about machines. A horse, on the other hand, can love back, and it can feel abuse and respond accordingly. There in I find my inability to sort things out. When I'm truly caring about another person I don't want them to be hurt, and when they are I want to do something to ease the pain. Then it follows if the source of the pain is another person I am not going to feel very kindly toward them as a result of the injury they cause. Does your life ever get complications in it like this? I suppose everyone's does, but each of us learns to cope using the skills we have aquired through our life experiences. Mine leaves me wandering a gray area between what I have learned and what I have lived. Spiritually speaking, I have several paths open; Forgiveness(I don't believe they are aware of the damage done, so forgiveness can only be at the superficial level), Shake the dust of that person's presence from my feet and get along down the road to where I might be better understood, and the third option, which has been attempted over and over again with the same results, nothing happens(maybe next time?)! Place not your pearls in the paths of swine, is one verse that comes to mind over and over again. Maybe that is my answer, but to be sure I need to be in prayer about the situations and see if there is anything that I have missed that might have a bearing on the outcome this time. I don't think so(isn't that a cute little car?), but I'll keep trying and in the meantime, I know where to place my trust. I place my trust for answers to all of the "tough" questions in my Savior who has purchased forgiveness for me by the shedding of His blood. Have a wonderful Sunday!!!
In Christ's Love, Preacher.