Worried About The Future? Don't Be! It's In Great Hands.

I just got done sending a reply to a lady who is very upset about the rulings in California about the pledge of allegiance. The story is probably everywhere by now. I don't give advice to people, but I do try to give them insight when it comes to their personal levels of emotional investment in issues. Kathy(pictured above)is one of several children belonging to a troup who do outreach ministry(christian-as in for Christ)all over the nation. It is young people like these that we need to look to when it comes to issues concerning how the government or the schools, or anyone else, for that matter, tries to legislate our religious freedoms. It cannot be done. One person going out and causing an uproar only serves to strengthen the cause of my Savior. As a columnist once put it, "Any publicity is good publicity." That is what folks accomplish when they bring these things into the courts. They actually provide fodder for more sermon material on Sunday mornings and strengthen more people's faith than they are capable of understanding. The harder you push, the harder you get pushed back. Letting God be God, and keeping my own levels of anger under restraint is not easy for me. I use the only tool that I know really works, prayer. In the end, there will be more positive ramifications to these sort of proceedings than we can imagine now. And even if the kids don't say it out loud, it is in their minds and their hearts. You may be able to legislate what can or cannot be said, but there is still no way you can possibly control the thoughts of young people. Thank God for that blessing. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

The fellow in the plane is certain where he is headed, so is the guy in the chute. Wouldn't each of us like to be just as certain of where we're headed? 

Longing For Freedom

More and more people every day are seeking freedom. I'm not always certain what freedom is for them so I have to ask. Mostly I get the regular answers one would expect out here on the Great American Desert. I suppose it's the same as everywhere else, but I can't be sure because I haven't been "everywhere else" lately. People seem to seek a variety of avenues that are healthy, but more often than not, we are persuing unhealthy freedoms at an alarming rate. Maybe that is why the mere mention of defining their idea of freedom frightens a lot of folks. The guys in these pics have found their freedom in the air, far above the earth. A lot of people I know find it on two wheels, and many more find it in simply getting away from the day to day work world. True freedom, though, is found in the spirit that resides within each one of us. That's a lesson I learned while in the midst of working at the SD state pen. People behind bars are sometimes more free than their brothers and sisters out here running around. They have that barrier which insulates them from the evils of the world as well as keeping them from being perpetrators of evil. For some with whom I've spent a good deal of time philosophizing, their freedom for life came when they were separated from the world, cut off, isolated. Many became 100% straight and sober for the first time in their adult life. (Now I know for certain that I've opened a can of worms that cannot be dealt with in this little space.) True freedom comes with wholeness. Wholeness comes as a result of being in harmony with the tripart nature of our being. Body, mind, and spirit, we don't do well on one or two, we need all three to live wholly, to live freely. If there is that sense of something missing in your life that you can't quite put your finger on, but oftimes refer to it as freedom it may be time to take inventory. Just a quick check before jumping, to make sure that where you're headed is where you will want to be when you arrive. Look first to your health, physical and mental. If the green light is on and you still aren't sure about your directions, check that spiritual side and see if it is fulfilling that part of your being's needs. Faith is foundational. Faith is as needed for us to be whole as water is necessary for our survival. God knows this, and when we get "inside" ourselves, we know it, too! Look before you leap to that freedom that you seek. Make certain that everything is working the way it should. These sky jocks would never jump without checking on their chutes, and in that there is a lesson to be sought, over and over. God bless, Preacher.

Gotta Learn To Be Quicker On The Draw

I wasn't quick enough today to capture the faces of the folks that made the somber outdoor atmosphere less oppressive, but the flowers held still quite nicely for me!
God bless, Preacher.

Change Is In The Air

Saturday was hot, dry, and windy, more the norm for early August that mid September, but this time of year we will take all the good days we can get. The rains have settled in once more in South Dakota. Neither the barometer or thermometer can tell up from down. The flowers know, though, and so do the birds, winter is rapidly approaching. Personally I am praying for one of those "lingering" seasons. There are years out here on the Great American Desert in which the snows and sub zero conditions hold off until well into January. The migration habits of the geese are one of the most telling signs, along with other birds, such as the tiny humming bird that was busily buzzing around the yellow flowers. I attempted to capture the tiny creature on the digital but I was far too slow. I think that's because it was a laid back Monday and without the sun present in the sky to keep me apprised of the passing of time I was in that "inbetween" stage. I'm sure passersby on highway 14 wondered what I was doing sitting alongside the road in the car. What I wanted was an opportunity to capture the sunshine and accompanying rays that I was certain were going to burst forth gloriously from their hiding places amidst the clouds. They never did. I suppose for some people, days like this are depressing. I know I had that inclination begin about midway through the day, but then I started searching for sunshine in places other than the sky. I found it! The glorious rays were found in the smiles of a grandchild, a blown kiss, a hand of friendship and the enjoyment of another's excitement over her impending wedding and the new home they are planning to purchase. Happiness is contagious(you wouldn't have guessed this by the faces of the folks at the supermarket or out on the road), but it is! It begins in our own hearts and spreads to all of those with whom we are able to share. Joy is a choice, one that each of us consciously makes. I know, it isn't all that easy to always be looking on the "bright side" of life, but I really like to try! Billy Graham wrote, "I am convinced that only Jesus can meet the deepest needs of our world and our hearts." Seeking happiness and joy? Seek first in faith, the rest will come. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Youngest grand is starting preschool. She's about as tall as this tree. They will both grow up strong and tall, able to withstand any adversity life holds! 

Four Years After

Preparations for this morning's church service were completed about two hours ago. It has been a very restless night for my spirit, and I'm not sure why. As I sit here listening to the radio I hear the messages of remembrances of all whose lives were touched by an incident that occurred in our nation's history. Forever life as we knew it changed. Looking back I see other incidents that have impacted me this way. The death of President Kennedy, the tumultuous end of the Vietnam War, The impact Desert Storm had on those of us serving congregations out here on the prairie, events that are in a heartbeat both inescapable, and past, over, done. My mind tells me we move on, but I know that we don't! As a nation we have a collective memory that stretches back to the days before there were states, before there were European settlers, colonists, and those who sought only gold. Now, four years after the most recent life changing event that is marked on our yearly calendar, we look back on how things were before. I suppose the connectedness that we feel with the past is a good thing. Personally, I think of it in the same manner I examine photos in the lens as they are taken, and on the 'puter after they're downloaded, and on the prints when received. Some pics are looked at over and over again, first close up and then zooming out to gain perspective. Most days we are zoomed way out on the events and lives that changed four years ago, but today we are zoomed in tight. We will look at moments that changed everyone forever, even while we are in the midst of another catastrophic event in our nation's history. Her name is Katrina, and there will come a day when we will zoom far back from the scenes that erupt in our minds. We will draw close only on rare occasions. This will have the distinct advantage of insulating us from our emotions! It will depend, of course, on how great the effect of the event had on us, personally. I look forward to both times, the close up, and the zoom out. They both have their place in our photo albums, and in our hearts. Tonight I will sleep well. Today I'll zoom in on the events along with others who experienced them in a multitude of ways. Rear Admiral, Grace Hopper, puts it like this, "Life was simple before World War II. After that we had systems." In Christ's Love, Preacher.