Saturday Was Special

Saturday was a beautiful day…

…And the first rain free day at the ending of some particularly busy few months. My schedule has been packed with little down time factored in, and very little opportunity to fudge and rearrange all any schedule. During these past 6 months, we have been overly busy…and the calendar was cemented into place for about 8 months without any unexpected modifications…

Then, unplanned events, sickness, dentist, emergency trips… Well. We’ve all been there.

Of course, there are times I thrive on busy, pushing tasks as late as possible and then scrambling to play catch-up. But with Spring nearly mid-way through, there are just some things I must handle. Now. Before it gets too hot, and the grass gets too deep!

What are your spring time chores? Mine. Gutters. Mowing. Firing up the tractor and getting rid of a new crop of rocks and boulders that pooch out of the ground fresh every year. Getting rid of some moss. Building that new fence. Several gates to mend and replace. Finding the money and time to build a workshop/barn. Cleaning out the garage from a winter of ad hoc storage. Too late, I missed pruning the apple trees and now their leaves are opening….

But Saturday was a beautiful day, and it was a day for us to enjoy the outside for the first time in 6 months. So. Those several dead trees still standing… Chainsaw! That dead tree the storm toppled a few months ago? Chainsawed down to a manageable pile… Burn Pile, that is! Along with some stacked wood for a late night fire enjoying the warming weather.

And that’s what we did Saturday afternoon.

Growing up I always remember cleaning up yard debris, raking and burning leaves, and enjoying siting around the fire. Sometimes there were multiple piles of leaves as big as a car. Watch out for the bugs, snakes, and other creepy crawlers. We learned that when the fire was bright and hot, smothering it with another pile of leaves would create crazy smoke! Then, playing through the smoke and hoping not to come out on the others side choking and gasping for breath. Tears streaming…

When Hurricane Carla came through Texas in 1961, there were over 60 trees down on the 140 acres we lived on. The water brought all kinds of debris near the house, and the stacks of debris was a fabulous adventure! Great heaping piles of fire and fun!

Saturday, my bride started the pile of branches while I used my trusty personal size chainsaw. The pile grew. The tree disappeared. Then it was time for the magical lightening of the fire…. Snap. Crackle. Pop. That cedar tree began to burn, and it was a blast feeding the fire! Smoke billowing into the sky and the fire whipping up a blaze that would swirl smoke across the ground and into our faces. The heat of the fire was worse than those hot beaches that people seem to enjoy baking their skin on. The cool breeze at our back made the heat tolerable.

So much fun.

Then, sitting back and enjoying the fruit of our labors until finally the fire settled down into ashes and a few left over tough logs. The dogs enjoyed the special attention and are forever spoiled, though one has no fear of fire, and the other cannot abide the fire or the chainsaw noise.

What’s the attraction to spending a Saturday afternoon doing this hard work? The joy of enjoying the day and time with my bride. If I were to do it by myself, true, it would still be fun, but there is something special about working together. Enjoying our chair time…together. Basking in the knowledge that we enjoy being together and enjoying some down time to ourselves.

Now… When’s the next Saturday?

Full Swing is Spring

Full Swing is Spring, and it’s about time!

March 30, 2017 – Backyard

Now, I love winter as much as anyone. Maybe more.

Snow.
Ice.
Cold.
Short Days.
Long Nights.
Storms.
Oh, I wish I had a fireplace!

But we know that Winter cannot last forever. Although, the farther north you go the longer it lingers.

Like the center of a good sandwich, Winter is wrapped by Spring and Fall. The twin sandwich of what many love better than Winter is Summer, again wrapped by Spring and Fall.

I saw the slim fingernail of the moon last night. Low on the horizon with a momentary clear sky. You could almost feel the brisk cool welcoming the evening as the sliver of the moon looked like a sleeping eye.

This morning, I’m thankful for my backyard view. The Bald Hills in the distant. My neighbors pasture with his sheep quietly grazing. The trees just waiting to bud and bloom. The hummingbirds flitting madly around the feeders, and the barn swallows swooping their annual nesting houses. Other birds dashing madly through the branches, searching for a morsel of food.

Quietly enjoying the magnificent morning, am I. 41 degrees. Remnants of a front sweeping through. Clouds beginning to swim down the hills. Sun playing hide and seek with the ground. “Can you see me now?”

It’s a satisfying time of the year!

A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfil.

– Robert Frost

Put away the morning. It’s time for some work…sigh….

Morning Pause

It has felt like a L-O-N-G morning, already!

But in the midst of the first couple hours of the day, I pause to think about life, options, tasks lists, goals, family, friends…I greet the morning with a deep thought and devotion to God and his word. I spend some moments of prayer, giving thanks, worship and praise…

All the while wishing there was a fireplace to enjoy the Morning Pause (like a friend of mine shared this week). It’s cold enough. 29 degrees. Frosty. But no place of fire exists. No room on the wall to install one… Guess it’s time to move!

Actually, we are still in the touches of winter. It’s in the 20’s at night. Maybe 40’s in the daytime. Hope of snow in the air, and frosty roof lines dot the scenes all around me. The grass is full of crunch. The sun is slowly peeking through the clouds and over the mountains. All in all, a really great day unfolding.

But there is something about the morning. A pause. Before the day runs away with the schedule.

David said,

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
(Psalms 5:3 NKJV)

My voice. My morning. My focus.

Take a break in your morning routine, give pause before the creator, and spend some quality time with the day before the day tromps all over you!

That Was Yesterday, Now It’s History

Yesterday is past…ready for the future?

When you wake you will be in the future. Every moment of time moves into what is the future second of time. What is the future of Winter? Not sure, but the Almanac suggests they know. Are you ready? Winter arrives today!

If you want to learn more about the Solstice, then check out this site. Depending on your time zone, winter may have appeared while you were sleeping!

When we first moved to Alaska in 1980, Anchorage was entering a cold wave described like this (weatherspark.com)

• The coldest day of 1980 was December 17, with a low temperature of -23°F. For reference, on that day the average low temperature is 13°F and the low temperature drops below -3°F only one day in ten. The coldest month of 1980 was December with an average daily low temperature of -6°F.
• Relative to the average, the coldest day was December 17. The low temperature that day was -23°F, compared to the average of 13°F, a difference of 35°F. In relative terms the coldest month was December, with an average low temperature of -6°F, compared to an typical value of 12°F.
• The longest cold spell was from November 29 to December 30, constituting 32 consecutive days with cooler than average low temperatures. The month of December had the largest fraction of cooler than average days with 94% days with lower than average low temperatures.
• The longest freezing spell was from November 27 to December 31, constituting 35 consecutive days with temperatures strictly below freezing.

I describe it with the words from people who write about weather to let you know how much I enjoy cold… This was an enjoyable time! I kept the window cracked to enjoy the cold feel as we drifted to sleep. And, it felt much colder than what is described because it was virtually a new sensation. I KNOW it was colder than -23… at least that’s what my memory tells me!

Remember. It’s only cold in the Northern Hemisphere where the earth is tilted furthest from the sun. Did you know, roughly 88-90% of the population on the earth lives in the Northern Hemisphere? (Source) That means, to one degree or another, most of us know about the Winter Solstice concept and not the flip of the Southern Hemisphere who are beginning the first day of SUMMER!

While General Washington was bedded down at Valley Forge, on December 21 these other events transpired through the centuries.

• 1898 – Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovered the radioactive element radium.
• 1937 – Walt Disney debuted the first, full-length, animated feature in Hollywood, CA. The movie was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
• 1945 – U.S. Gen. George S. Patton died in Heidelberg, Germany, of injuries from a car accident.
• 1951 – Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement from major league baseball.
• 1968 – Apollo 8 was launched on a mission to orbit the moon. The craft landed safely in the Pacific Ocean on December 27. (I was 13, and soon to be 14…)
• 1968 – Crosby, Stills and Nash performed together in public for the first time.
• 1968 – Janis Joplin gave her first solo performance in Memphis, TN.
• 1969 – Diana Ross gave her last television performance as a member of the Supremes on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
• 1988 – 270 people were killed when Pan Am Boeing 747 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, due to a terrorist attack.
• 1995 – The city of Bethlehem passed from Israeli to Palestinian control.
• 1996 – Curious George co-creator Margret Rey dies

Finally, some Facebook history for me over the past 8 years…

• 2015 – Doctors. Lawyers. Police. Pastor’s. Just a few of those who sometimes make mistakes. Oh, and you, too!
• 2015 – “8 Hours“
• 2013 – “Our Best Song“
• 2013 – “To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.” ~Thomas Paine

And several favored 12/21 scriptures.

And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. (1 Samuel 12:21 NKJV)

And in his name Gentiles will Trust. (Matthew 12:21 NKJV)

Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” (John 12:21 NKJV)

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21 NKJV)

 

 

The Last Day of Fall

Yes… We’ve arrived…

Fallen, Yet Favored

It’s the last day of Fall, 2016.

Winter begins officially tomorrow, although we’ve been down into the teens at night, rain and snow for several weeks, frozen water all around, this is a generally great time to be in the Pacific Northwest!

And this tree has not looked like this for the past 6 weeks!

I saw pictures of folks in Texas wearing their fur coats when it got down into the 30’s and 40’s, and then the daytime jumped up into the 80’s! Unless the wind is blowing, or the rain is falling, I generally don’t wear a coat until it gets closer to zero… Yes… Zero!

Due to the fact that we have a leap day ever 4 years, the date of the solstice (high point and low point of sun in the sky as the earth tips toward and away from the sun) changes by the date, and by the hour of the day. It’s probably a simple calculation to determine when the solstice arrives, but in Alaska you remember how short, and how long, the days are…If you lived at the equator you would notice little difference…

For this year, enjoy the last day of Fall and be prepared – Winter still lasts 3 months!

On this date, December 20, the following represents the activities of our history.

• 1606 – The “Susan Constant,” “Godspeed” and “Discovery” set sail from London. Their landing at Jamestown, VA, was the start of the first permanent English settlement in America.
• 1699 – Peter the Great ordered that the Russian New Year be changed from September 1 to January 1.
• 1803 – The United States Senate ratified a treaty that included the Louisiana Territories from France for $15 million. The transfer was completed with formal ceremonies in New Orleans.
• 1860 – South Carolina became the first state to secede from the American Union.
• 1879 – Thomas A. Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light at Menlo Park, NJ.
• 1892 – Alexander T. Brown and George Stillman patented the pneumatic tire.
• 1946 – The Frank Capra film “It’s A Wonderful Life” had a preview showing for charity at New York City’s Globe Theatre, a day before its “official” world premiere. James Stewart and Donna Reed star in the film.  (And I still have never seen it!)
• 1957 – Elvis Presley received his U.S. Army draft notice.
• 1963 – The Berlin Wall was opened for the first time to West Berliners. It was only for the holiday season. It closed again on January 6, 1964.
• 1968 – Author John Steinbeck died at the age of 66.
• 1990 – The world’s first website and server go live at CERN. The first website was http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html. (Yes… The World Wide Web is still relatively new!)

And now, some Facebook History…

• 2015 – Blessed. Happy. Tired. Content. A great day of church, packed house, great banquet and now rehydrating and refreshing my mind and soul. The ending of a blessed day and record group of worshippers. Thanks to every visitor who joined us today! Now, a few days of vacation desperately needed…
• 2015 – “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.”~via Randy Wagner via Faith Wagner
• 2015 – The stress of these holy days are calmed by my morning time of prayer and devotion. You haven’t prepared until you’ve prayed.
• 2015 – “December 20 Countdown!“
• 2013 – “It is a painfully slow process learning not to judge someone too quickly.” From some novel I am reading…
• 2013 – “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places.” ~Ernest Hemingway
• 2013 – “You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” ~Walt Disney
• 2010 – To my wonderful church family: Thanks for a great day of Christmas celebration. What a blessing to have a wonderfully huge family to enjoy this season with. Many blessings to you all.

Finally, a favored 12/20 scripture or two…

Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy. (Proverbs 12:20 NKJV)

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. (Romans 12:20 KJV)

Sweet Time of Fall

Yes. Today is the start of Fall.

Fallen, Yet Favored

In the astronomical view, it is that time from the Autumnal Equinox until Winter Solstice. Only in the Northern Hemisphere. Drop below the equator and you move into Vernal Equinox (Spring). And the word Equinox essentially means that the daylight and night time hours are essentially equal. You know, 12 hours with the sun, and 12 hours without the sun.

To me, the equinox is midpoint between the solstice. Summer. Winter. The longest day of the year, and the shortest day of the year. I love the shortest more than the longest… Thank you for asking. That’s not to say I dislike long summer days! No! As long as the heat and humidity is tolerable… Just saying! 30 years in the Pacific Northwest (Alaska and Washington), I’ve grown used to very little heat and humidity.

In the traditional sense, the Fall is related to gathering in the crops. Harvest time. Storing up for winter, spring and summer. Until Harvest time next year. Then it starts all over!

Think about a traditional Harvest for a moment. This is when we we normally enjoy the freshest food. Crops newly picked. Crisp. Firm. Sweet. This is the season of apples, and our 3 threes has produced a thousand apples. Some too small to do anything with, but some large enough to enjoy eating and cooking! The problem is getting them off the tree before my dogs eat all the low hanging fruit! And they love apples! So do the horses next door.  They neigh at me as the dogs and I are walking. A knife. A few apples. And I feed the 3 horses, 2 dogs, and me…Slices of Apples…

The fall is a sweet time as we reminisce about the summer, and buckle down for the winter storms. In my neck of the woods, the winter storms can be fierce, heavy with wind, rain, flooding, and mudslides. Spend as much time as possible in the great out of doors…Before the winter crowds you into the warm flames in the hearth.

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” [Notebook, Oct. 10, 1842]”  ― Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks

The Hebrew New Year begins in the Fall. It’s not exactly lined up to the Autumnal Equinox, but within a week or so. Why might that be? I think that Fall represents the beginning of a new year. Crops loose their position in the field as they are stored away. The ground grows dormant. Cold. Short days. The root system of many trees continues to grow and expand deeper, looking for nourishment. And then the solstice, shortest day, and then the hope of spring, planting, summer, growth…winding up at the harvest to begin life over again.

The Bible teaches bringing your firstfruits to God. When does this happen agriculturally? In the Harvest season.

“Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. (Exodus 23:14-16 NKJV)

Some think they owe nothing to God, and yet there is nothing in scripture that forgives such a debt. He gave us his world, his life, his blood, his spirit, and his name. There is nothing I can do to repay, but I will give what I can…and scripture teaches me to give as I have been blessed. My tithes. My offerings. They are not suggestions. They are God’s law.

So…How about you? Are you giving God your first fruits? This is the season for it.

The Season of Life

We understand seasons…

At least, most of us understand the definitions of what the four seasons are. Some live in an area of only two, or maybe three, seasons. If you are in the colder climate, and closer to the south, then you probably get exposed to all four seasons. I thoroughly enjoy the winter, and the coming of winter via fall, but I am less enamored with summer if there is heat and humidity…

It’s all a matter of personal taste, desires, and dreams!

But when it comes to life, these seasons are as rigid as the age we feel in our bones. The same can be said of our careers because we struggle with the growing years as we find our place in the world, and then those latter years before retirement, well, we struggle as we attempt to unwind from all those busy years.

Working on projects for a number of years we understood that life had its own rhythm and pace that could not be denied. Summer vacations. Holidays. Back to school. All of these life events could create some dramatic negatives if you did not plan for them. So, the wise thing to do is to factor in these events so that the team, organization, and customers, would not be overly stressed.

Imagine installing a new ATM system over the holidays when people are using their debit cards to get cash for food and gifts. It doesn’t make sense to test the waters like this. Think of all the products that have been introduced and each of them that have struggled with failure at the start of school season. Samsung comes to mind!

This makes me aware, as I age, that life seasons are not something to take lightly. Seasons bring new challenges, and taking on a new endeavor at a season when one would normally be approaching retirement can put many people into tenuous positions.

What if…? That becomes the big question!

It’s been a while since I read the book by Kenneth French, “Just One More Place”. It chronicles his desire by prayer to be allowed to have the opportunity to start just one more church. He and his family went to Alaska in 1940 and began a life of planting churches everywhere. (Read Reference Here) Nearing the end of a season, he prayed for the opportunity to go to just one more place. He was not willing to back down, even though he was nearing the end of his life.

Kenneth French passed away on 11/1/1980… Just a few days before we arrived in Alaska. I never met him, but I know many had great respect for him.

E.B. White, an American Essayist penned the work most popularly known in the USA, “Stuart Little” and “Charlotte’s Web”. He passed away just 5 years after Kenneth French and is well known by this quote:

“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” ~E. B. White

From these two individuals, born just 6 years apart, and died just 5 years apart, I take something from their personal focus and think about this today…

Does anybody still have a desire to do more all the way till their last days instead of simply slowing down and doing nothing?

A cousin of mine in Texas says he wants to never retire and never quit working. I understand this, and when you have health, mental acuity and resources to continue to pursue, then I think we could all be like Warren Buffett (4 months younger than my dad!) and just keep on going!

The reality exists that too many of us look forward to the day when we get to wish the company “Good day” and get about the business of simply living life at a slower (or different) pace. Sleep, work, travel and play when you want to and not when the company allows you!

My point today, just because life may be slower does not mean we will no longer be effective. It simply means I redirect my remaining energies and vision to those remaining years. My focus is still to be the best I can be, and to be all I can be, for as long as I can be!

You see, I’m NOT there yet! But reality is that I must start planning for what life will look like in those waning years. There’s still something in me that wants to keep doing, going, learning and challenging myself to do something tomorrow that is as important as what I’ve done with my past!

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  (James 4:13-14 NKJV)

Life will slow down, and it will eventually end… But not before I’ve done everything I can to feed the desire to keep busy!

 

 

 

Quick Thought: Saturday

I always seem to understand that the weekend was made for family.

But my family is far from here, so my church becomes my “replacement” family. For over 20 years we have lived far from our birth place, and if it is a “God” thing, then it is where we have been meant to live, and serve.

Of course, I jokingly say that God saved us from “hell” and moved us from Texas to Alaska, and then settled us in a very moderate weather place we call “Washington Home” – a moderate middle ground between our heart, and our families.

A few weeks ago I enjoyed passing through Texas, and must go there again very soon for some family stuff, but unless God were to dictate this as a final place, then I never see myself doing more than that occasional visit, and preferably, in the WINTER…

Having recently returned from a WINTER trip to Israel, I thought about the family that Jesus had during his ministry years. In fact, his mom was the one that got him to perform his opening miracle that is recorded in scripture when he turned water into wine. (Recorded only in John 2:1-11)

During much of the remainder of his earthly ministry, Jesus is separated from his family and surrounded by his ministry family (the disciples) and all the followers. His time was not his own. The burdens he bore were more for those who followed him, and it seems like there is little connection with his own flesh and blood.

In fact, at one time Jesus is interrupted from his instructions by his blood relatives who stood outside asking to speak to him. (Matthew 12:46-50) Instead of going to greet them, he asks his disciples:

“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

A startling question considering that his family is simply outside awaiting time with him. Jesus goes on to say…. You are my mother. You are my brothers. If you are doing the will of God, then you are my family.

This caused me to pause and consider a somewhat parallel thought of identifying who our family is:

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” ~(Genesis 2:24 ESV)

They shall become one…. My family may be far from me, but my spouse is equal to me, she “is” me… She is my one true family member I have that is ordained by God as my spouse. My Helper. (Genesis 2:18-20) She bears the burden and brunt of my calling, yet without some title that is so often sought after by others. She does not look for the limelight, she is happy to stay in the background of my ministry and calling. She is my wife. My best friend. My lover. My Bride. And the one that has never left me, nor considered that I am simply not the best one suited for her.

And she is here with me even today.

As Jesus is stretched far from his family, if not by miles, then at least by ministry – I too feel like I am far from my natural family – except for my bride….

Sweetie, you are my friend and my family and with you here then I am not worried about what comes next! Love you!

Seasonal Tilt

Axial Tilt of Earth

The Solstice was reached this past weekend, and in my world Summer officially began at about 3:48 a.m.

As many cheer the concept of longer and warmer days, I was amazed at how folks celebrated this event!

One neighbor had a Summer Party and many folks actually took time out of their busy Saturday to attend, parking all over the place and sitting around in outdoor pavilion tents…

Down the road a bit, one group even camped out Friday and Saturday night to celebrate.

Celebrate what? Something that happens year in and year out? Every 3 months a new season begins and we’ve been noting this for thousands of years. Why celebrate what happens all the time?

So, I asked myself, what officially marks the season?

In a simple world we would all understand that the earth is perpetually tilting on it’s axis and that tilt sways toward and away from the sun.

It’s almost like that spinning top we used to play with as a kid (I was never good at it…). You know, wind a string around the top and flip it out of your hand. With one end of the string looped over a finger, the power of the throw and the unwinding string forces the top to spin. If it lands just right on the metal point then it begins to whirl around until it runs out of spin.

This is much how the earth dances it’s annual routine around the sun. Gravity holds us in place, and something a long time ago started the spinning of the earth on its axis, and then the tilt began just like that top.  Spinning around it’s axis to give us day and night, and then as it takes its annual trip around the sun, the tilt of the earth leans into the sun, and then away from the sun. When tilted to the sun then the northern hemisphere experiences what we call summer and the southern hemisphere experiences winter.

In fact, the north pole is in continual sun and the south pole is in continual dark. For several weeks!

Then it happens again. All year long our earth is in a constant change of tilt as we revolve around the sun. And the universe is in constant movement throughout space. (Read my blog ~click here~ a few weeks ago talking about our speeding universe.)

When in Alaska, and the further north you travel, you can see the sun up to 24 hours a day. In Anchorage, today, the sun rose at 4:22 a.m. and sets at 11:43 p.m. – that’s 19 hours and 21 minutes of daylight. Just a few miles south in Washington our sun rises an hour later (5:13) and sets at 9:10 pm. for about 16 hours of daylight.

As we march through summer we will see these total hours of daylight decrease. It will tilt slowly at first, then speed up, and slow down as it gets close to winter.

Between Summer and Winter Solstice, are our two other favorite seasons – Spring and Fall. As we gradually move between the solstice, we cross a line of demarcation that allows these two warming and cooling times to be enjoyed.

Now… The Earth tilts anywhere from about 22 to 24 degrees. There are some complex equations to predict the tilt, and for what I am thinking about today I will allow it to be immaterial the degree difference, or even why this occurs in the first place.

Think with me for a moment.

Solomon penned these beautiful words that we use often when thinking about seasons.

Ecc 3:1-8 KJV To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (2) A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; (3) A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; (4) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (5) A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; (6) A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; (7) A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; (8) A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Many might use these words to justify why they are experiencing certain seasons in their life. Living, dying, planting, harvesting.

But as the seasons of Earth are prescribed and documented, and yes, even accurately predicted – I like to think of Solomon relating to life events that occur for everyone.

On the other hand, Moses is described as having chosen his seasonal life with the Chosen Ones rather than the sinful ones.

Seasons are not just periodic passages of time. Rather, I feel like there is a choice we make as to what seasons we choose in life. The Apostle Paul described it like this:

Gal 6:8-9 KJV For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (9) And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

It’s almost as if we have a seasonal divergence that takes one down the path of corruption, or down the path of Spiritual Blessings. It is NOT like we have seasons in our life where we take a vacation from God!

Even the Psalmist gave a description of a life continually blessed in it’s choice of action.

Psa 127:1 KJV  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

You do not take a seasonal break from your walk with God! It’s not like you choose today to “be” Godly, and tomorrow you live like the devil! If your life is a temple of God (1 Cor 6:19-20), then you do not choose today to be on a seasonal break from a Holy God.

This concept of a seasonal tilt shows an average of a 23 degree tilt from Summer to Winter. Walking closer to stepping away from God into Spring or Fall is about 11.5 degrees. A lighter tilt. Every week represents about a .44 degree tilt, one way or the other (23/52=.44). Every day equals a .06 degree tilt (23/365=.06)

You may think a minor tilt is nothing to worry about. Oh. I wish I were a mathematician! Imagine a slight tilt on the steering wheel of a speeding car down a two lane road. Uncorrected tilt can end in calamity!

You may think it’s okay to tilt… Just do the math. One degree off course will get you lost! Or in the pathway of danger!

Final thought… Even Jesus says life is a strait and narrow pathway that leads to Life. Most are not successful, so why follow the crowd?

Mat 7:13-20 KJV Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: (14) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (15) Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (16) Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (17) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (19) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (20) Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

 

Springs Last Hurrah!

There is something special about a storm!

Springs Last Hurrah

When we were kids there was something special about a “blue norther” roaring through your neighborhood. Of course, this could easily be any simple thunderstorm sweeping across the flat lands of south Texas. Those coastal areas have no hills, and only trees and buildings to stand up to the march of the weather.

My brothers and I would climb some of the favored whip cord thin trees, as high up as possible. Then like cowboys on a bucking bronc we would ride the trees in the wind as they are whipped every direction.

Mom’s only requirement was that we come down as soon as we heard thunder or saw lightening… Bummmer… It was okay to get wet – just not fried…!

Since most of my pre-adult life was lived in a flat land, we never grew up standing on a hill side, or high plateau, and watch a storms approach. But when you saw that darkening sky rolling over the trees, you prepared yourself to enjoy the storm!

Maybe this is the main reason I enjoy bad weather!

Several weather reports yesterday suggested that our mild weather might be ending this weekend as we approach the beginning of Summer. Spring’s last hurrah. For the past few mornings we have been warned of wet commutes – yet the sun continues to break the eastern horizon and there is hardly a cloud in the sky. Last night the weather front moved in and I could feel the moisture in the air. Winds kicked up a little, yet the yard is not littered with left overs like we see in our winter storms.

In an area as diverse as ours I understand the forecaster cannot always paint a correct picture to every nook and cranny. We have hills, peninsula’s, water ways, and some of the mountains are big enough to redirect the weather flow.

I log into my weather app and watch the radar showing me where the front is located and the system does a decent job of showing where to expect rain to fall over the next hour.

Here lately it has been missing me, and I am disappointed…

I realize there are major storm battering the mid-west. Floods in Minnesota, and tornadoes from the Dakotas marching repeatedly across the plains. These weather fronts often bring severe destruction and I commiserate with those who are suffering even today.

As a child we fled Texas when Hurricane Carla swept through in 1961. As an adult I have had my home in the path of a tornado and even battened down the hatches as we rode out a hurricane. In Alaska I have been through some severe cold fronts that froze every house on the northern side and caused water pipes buried 20 feet deep to burst. Here in Washington we survived an ice storm that brought down power lines for nearly a week. Every winter for the past decade we have lost power due to winter storms that continually march through from the Pacific Ocean.

We use storms to describe the reality of life that batters the human spirit and soul. Most of the crippling effect of sickness is often likened to a storm that wreaks havoc upon our bodies. When we see the aftermath of a natural storm we understand the analogy.

Yet, there is something mightier than the storm!

The psalmist pens these words so eloquently – I wish I knew Hebrew better!

Psa 93:1-5 ESV The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. (2) Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. (3) The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. (4) Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty! (5) Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.

Mightier than every storm is our God. Even when life throws it’s last hurrah, we still serve a God that is larger than life!