It's the time of year when spiders build large webs around our home (which is semi located in the country).  One of these webs recently took shape near our front walk way; it was attached between a tree in our yard and our front lamp post.  A rather large spider was busy at work and paused only for a moment to make sure we weren't going to bother him.  (Or her, I really couldn't get close enough to tell).  I teased our adult daughter, who is quite small in frame, telling her not to get too close.  I warned that given her weight and size, if she got tangled in that web the spider might just have her trapped!  She laughed but seemed to heed my warning and kept a safe distance.  But as I thought about our "jesting" with each other I realized that it is usually not "the web of another" that entangles us but rather the webs that we ourself spin through our lies, deceit, and sin....

We almost had a calamity the other day as we prepared to launch our church's Pumpkin Patch.  The pumpkins were originally scheduled to arrive on Friday afternoon.  This time was scheduled so that our Scouts, youth group members, and school sports participants could be present to help us unload the truck.  Each year it is a blessing to have so many young people doing the "heavy lifting" as 900 pumpkins are moved from the back of a truck to the appropriate pallet's in our Pumpkin Patch.  But, this year our truck could not make it at the scheduled time.  Instead, it arrived on a Tuesday morning at 9:30 (while school is in session).  Further, our church was experiencing email difficulties and we had difficulty communicating about the immediate need for workers.  For a while I thought there may be only 4 of us who would be working all morning and afternoon trying to get our Patch set up.  But then a miracle happened., the Faithful showed up...

The Prayer Garden at my church looks beautiful right now.  That has not always been the case; even a month ago it was more of an eye-sore than a source of inspiration.  But several members of the church decided it was time to give our Prayer Garden a little "tender love and care" and they did just that.  The transformation has been amazing and now it is truly a place of beauty.  People are visiting it once again; it is again a place for meditation and prayer.  Once again it has become a place of blessing for many....

Recently my wife and I were enjoying a restful Sunday afternoon when an awful "crashing" sound caused us to look into our garage:  the ceiling had fallen in.  At the time we had no idea what had caused the collapse, but we immediately knew we had a big mess.  It took several days to clear out ceiling panel and insulation.  It took several additional days to move items from our garage into storage so that workers could begin their repairs.  It was hard to believe how quickly things had gone from "relaxation and peace" to "shock and chaos."  But sometimes life is just like that:  on the surface all is going well, but then "the ceiling crashes in!"  What do we do when we are awakened to discover that life is now a mess?...

Today is Easter Sunday.  For many, it will be a wonderful day of worship and fellowship with friends and family.  In anticipation of our grandchildren arriving this afternoon, one of my Good Friday goals was to mow the backyard.  (Get it in shape for a big Easter egg hunt). But about half way through the project the unthinkable happened:  the front wheel came off of my riding mower.  The "pin" holding it in place had snapped and wheel came completely off.  Fortunately, a friend came to rescue me.  The same thing had happened to one of his tractors and he knew exactly what to do.  In short order, he had me "up and mowing" once again.  But sometimes, things aren't that easily repaired.  Sometimes when "the wheels come of" we are faced with a true crisis...

It is a very common practice, as we begin a new year, to make "new years resolutions."  Usually these are stated in the form of goals that one wants to achieve in the new year.  Often times they involve intentions to change ones behavior:  exercise more, adopt a healthy diet, read the Bible each morning, etc.  The problem with setting these goals is that although we may begin the year with sincere intentions, often by February we have already lost our momentum.  By the time we come to December we are lamenting about how far we have gotten off track and how we need to work harder at these goals next year.  Maybe we need a different approach...

On December 21, my wife, daughter, and I stood in our driveway (Sapulpa, Ok) and marveled at the beautiful sight of Jupiter and Saturn (the two largest planets in our solar system) as they "aligned" and gave off a marvelous light, marking the beginning of the winter solstice.  Their alignment this year is rare and hasn't been seen since the Middle Ages.  It is this phenomenon, many believe, that the Wise Men witnessed so many years ago.  How blessed we are to have been able to see it as we approach Christmas day, 2020.  It should cause all of us to stop and think...

We hear a lot about angels in the Bible.  At Christmas time, we are especially reminded of their presence in our lives: Gabriel appears to Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist.  Gabriel again appears to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus.  Then after the birth of Jesus "an angel of the Lord" appears to Shepherds to announce the Messiah's birth.  Though angels don't show up on every page of the Bible, their work is mentioned frequently enough to let us know that they are at work in our world.  But the angels that are on my mind today are not the true celestial beings whose work is both mysterious and grand; rather it is those who are "angel like" in that often they work behind the scenes but bring great blessing to those who are the objects of their favor.  Today I'm thinking of people like you and me, who have the opportunity to be "angels" for the sake of others...

As we approach Thanksgiving day, there are many things that I am thankful for; but this year I am especially thankful for family and friends who have blessed me in so many ways.  I was especially reminded of this as I prepared my message for last Sunday based on a text from 1 Thessalonians, 3:7-13.  In this passage Paul begins by asking the question:  "How can we thank God enough? (vs. 9).  He then expounds on his thanksgiving by describing his relationship with the Thessalonians in light of four important qualities:  joy, faith, love, and strength.  These are four quality, I believe, that my family and friends have imparted to me over the years.  It is these qualities, and the way my friends have shared them with me, that have made our relationships meaningful and deep.  I am so thankful for the people who have shared these gifts with me...

Long election lines are being reported across our country today.  This was certainly true of my polling place as I went to vote early this morning.  It took a while to finally vote and I really didn't enjoy standing outside in the cold.  But, this is a good thing because it shows that many, throughout our land, are exercising and enjoying this wonderful privilege that comes with citizenship.  Sometimes I think we need to be reminded of the tremendous blessing that is ours through our right to vote...