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Thanks  to those of you who read this blog regularly.  Yesterday something happened at my hosting site.  You accessed the site and saw a root directory and no blog.  You phoned me.  I contacted my site host.  He pushed a few buttons, and, "voila", I'm back! Imagine 100 years ago!  You wouldn't have been able to phone me.  You might have sent a telegram.  Or walked over.  Or ridden a horse.  Or perhaps gotten in one of those new fangled vehicles called cars. And when you delivered your message, I would have said -- "You've go to be kidding!  The internet - what's that?  A blog -- are you stuttering?  A root directory -- we've only got a root cellar!"

I think for most of my life I've wanted to make sure every day is a "new" day.  So, I've purposely walked a new route to school, or worn a new set of clothes, or been sure to talk to someone new, or looked for a new opportunity. Today I lived a "not much new" day.  Or at least that's how I started the day.  I had things to do -- the regular!  But then, I went to visit a "new" friend -- never met him before but had been alerted that he was new to town.  He is a site manager at a construction site in town.  Then, I played with a video and learned how to make a shortened video segment.  Then off to a Gideon's meeting and I learned more about how the Bible can serve as a seed in people's life -- what great stories.  And now, I'm at home with 15 or 20 ladies who have met for a study on Believing God. So, I guess not much new happened today!

I'm working on a sermon for Sunday.  Continuing in the Biblical book of James.  A book strong in action.  The third chapter talks of the tongue and it's ability to harm or help.  Then the statements go into a discussion of wisdom. I remember that the original writings had no paragraphs.  They were just strung together.  You needed to figure out the flow of the content yourself. Unfortunately some times the contemporary paragraph breaks throw off that flow.  In James 3 the tongue is discussed, then wisdom.  As though they were two separate thoughts.  But, perhaps not.  Perhaps the way to get past wise cracks that are silly is to come to a deeper understanding of wisdom that changes the heart, so that from the inside the tongue speaks. Well, at least that's the start of the sermon.  We'll see what evolves by Sunday!!

Actually, this Sunday appears to be one of rest.  I hate to say it, but often a pastor's Sunday is less than restful.  We seek out other days in the week to rest.  And we wish our Sunday's could be restful. Not that the day needs to be without responsibility.  But rather, that the day would have a sense of peace and unhurriedness.  Some days this happens, others I feel frazzled and frantic.  Perhaps it was visiting with my native Alliance Christian friends (they live in a much more lenient sense of time).  Whatever prompted the day, I took it slow and tried not to be overcome with worry or concern.  The tasks were actually more than usual, but the enjoyment was on a whole different level.  Perhaps I'm also sensing a greater sense of God-sufficiency instead of self-sufficiency.  In other words, God's making it clear that I can't fix things or make things happen.  A good reminder, so that all I need to do is rest in what God is doing. Perhaps there are other things, but for the moment I'm just enjoying the day -- and the analysis will follow. God be thanked.