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Yesterday I was exposed to the sun – particularly the top of my head.

The result?

A red top!

The opportunity was given to me to attend an outdoor parade of a local group here in town.  The chairs were comfortable and the company pleasing.  The refreshments following were welcoming!

I sat and enjoyed the presentation.  Along with a well thought out program, and as minor adjustments happened, as wind blew disrupting papers and as uniform changes occurred, the waiting time in the sun caused sunburn.

I’m one for whom most sunburn does not result in peeling.  I have been thankful for that over the years.

This morning I’m sensing a tingling.

We’ll see how long I will be red on top, or what the consequences may be!!

Someone jokingly said that our summer would be 10 days long.

With the winter stretching into May, and a sense that weather patterns are changing, there may be some truth to that saying!  Or, we may be in for hot weather and a drought (another prediction I have recently heard).

The last few days have seen weather that could be considered hot.  For me that means stretching above the 25 degree Celcius mark.  I drove to Rosetown yesterday, enjoyed a seminar on conflict (not sure how you enjoy that?), and then headed out to my car.

The inside was sweltering.  As I basked in the warmth, I started the car and headed out to the highway towards home.  A few blocks later I checked to be sure the air conditioning was on.  A few minutes later, as I headed down paved highway, I turned the fan on full blast. 

And this morning, as the clock ticks past the 6:00 hour, the sun is shining on the houses across the street.  The air is fairly still.  And the forecast is again for hot weather.

God gives green grass to view, and abundant air to breathe and a sky that expands my horizons.  I have family and friends blessing my days, and rest and refreshment in my evenings. 

This is the day that God has made, I will rejoice and be thankful in it.

Rural Church Pastors’ Network.

Today is another chance to get together with other rural church pastors.  We’ll meet in Rosetown and talk about the perennial problem of conflict.  We’ll also eat a meal together and enjoy a bit of banter over the foibles of being a rural church pastor.

There is something about these gatherings that is both attractive and distractive.  When you get to the gathering, you realize how much interaction is helpful in balancing your own life.  Things that seem big become smaller.  Problems that had no solution can be compared to other’s approaches.

Meanwhile, in the business of life, another meeting distracts from already ongoing projects.  Just as painting a room all in one day, or having the alternative of stretching it over a few days – I would choose one day.   Some Pastors will not be able to attend today because of those projects which need attention and are best achieved in a continuous manner.

Well, off to Rosetown – on a highway down a rural corridor of fields and cattle.  Oh, and then there is the occasional town as well!!

I was reading an article, or was it a blog post, or perhaps someone mentioned this thought.

When you climb the ladder of success, first ask what the final rung is.

I guess most of us are like the person who puts their ladder up.  We have never checked to see where the final rung lands.  We trust that whatever is holding the ladder will remain firm.

If not, we could be in trouble.

As middle age approaches, many people are getting close to the top (or are at least hoping to get close).  One day they take a look and wonder what’s holding them up.

Money and power are fleeting.  I’ve seen in a number of places that things such as wisdom, rest, family, . . . the opposite of striving.

Perhaps Jesus has something to say to us when he mentions that people who are busy and stressed can come to him and find rest.  Not a bad final rung!