"Fall" or "Autumn" either way it is a blessing!

The autumn of life is a great time to focus on God’s wonderful blessings—family, friends, strength, shelter, provision, guidance, care, fruitful ministry, opportunities to serve, more time to pray and study His Word, and eternal life still to come. It is a time of transition and a time of change. Autumn also is a time that produces the harvest....Apples, Pumpkins, Persimmons, Sun Flowers, Walnuts, Acorns...

“Autumn” only occurs once in the Bible. In Jude 1:12, false teachers are compared to “autumn trees without fruit,” implying that autumn should be a fruitful season, the most abundant of the year. How can we take advantage of the “autumns of life”?

I suggest these two:

1. The autumn of life is a great time to focus on God’s wonderful blessings—family, friends, strength, shelter, provision, guidance, care, fruitful ministry, opportunities to serve, more time to pray and study His Word, and eternal life still to come.

2. Autumn is a good time to focus on your commitment to God. During life’s autumn, we have a richer perspective and can count more blessings than ever before.

Blessings and commitments drive us to a gracious God that is filled with love for each of us. Our intentional focus on blessings and commitments remind us to be strong in the coldest of winters and the hottest of summers.

You know I love ya, Don

The Master's Masterpiece of seasons....Autumn!

"...for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

I love this time of year. There is a certain energy when the seasons change, but the results of Autumn always warms my heart. Cathy Irvin wrote the following and it resonates with me:

Winter, spring, summer, and fall are God’s seasons. I have always been a big fan of summer and spring and not too fond of fall and winter. But lately I have changed. I think it is something about those leaves of red, orange, yellow, and burgundy that fall from the trees. I feel as if I have noticed them for the very first time.

I like taking a ride and watching people setting out pumpkins in the yard with hay bales and planting mums in the yard. I am looking forward to getting some lavender and yellow mums myself for my yard and a few pumpkins.

The other day, one of my friends and I went to visit a friend who has been ill, and in her neighborhood, we noticed many yards decorated for fall. I don’t remember seeing this too much in the past. Have I missed this season all these years, or is it just that as I get older I appreciate God’s world just a little more?

The latter is what I concluded. The Bible says, “This is day that the Lord hath made, and I will rejoice in it.” Each day He has given me beauty to enjoy, so I think I should sit back and take in this glorious creation.

God is the best artist in the world, for only He can create such different themes. We see many artists that try to capture the seasons on their canvases by painting what they see around them, and they do a wonderful job. However, neither picture nor paint could ever replace the real thing splashed across the sky and spilled over the earth like the Master’s display of His finest artwork. God’s creativity is unmatched, for every day is different, just like every snowflake in winter.

When people say there is no God, I know they do not see with eyes like mine. They must see a plain, white canvas or a black drop cloth and not the blue skies that fade into light pink in the evening. Nor do they see the flowers that no paint on any artist’s palate could attempt to match or the trees that were each given a certain color leaf to change into when autumn arrives. ‘No God,’ they say. It is just that they do not know the Master of the seasons, the One who has created such magnificent displays of perfect art.

Instead of always looking forward to the summer and springtime, I have decided to enjoy the Master’s autumn masterpiece for the rest of my life.

It is good to give thanks and especially for God's Masterpiece we call Autumn!. You know I love ya, Don

Tears & Weeping turned to shouts of His Faithfulness!

May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. -Psalm 126:5-6 (NRSV)

Alice, Matthew and Karen have planted flowers around the house this year. On a sunny day in April they filled the pot with soil, planted the seeds according to the instructions, and set it on our deck and around the yard. Over the coming weeks they faithfully watered the plants, anticipating a colorful display of flowers. Slowly, we saw the transition from seed to seedling to bud to flower (or veggie plant). It's hard to fathom how such a rich tapestry of color could come from such an unspectacular beginning. Seeds that were no more than gray flecks were the genesis of a rainbow of color -- green, blue, red, orange, and yellow.

The flowers remind me of the words of Psalm 126 -- that our sorrows can be the seeds of joy, an un-wonderful beginning that brings a wonderful crop. The psalmist sings of God's redemption in bringing back captives and restoring their fortunes, taking them out of their captivity and deprivation. In sadness can be seeds that God will cultivate to grow a rainbow of joy.

I think this verse brings comfort in transition, loss, and in change. We will always miss Nicholas and as I have written in the past, Nicholas will always be our son...we will thirst for Him until we see him again in Glory and there is great comfort in knowing that we have a treasure in heaven with the name, Nicholas. We have also started considering and praying about adoption again. We are not sure where God is taking us on this journey, but we know that the desire to continue to add to our family is still there. So, we sow in tears and strive to please the God we love. He is faithful and we stand convinced that He will bring joy and a renewed strength in life through our relationship with Jesus. Until then, we enjoy the sights and smells of the flowers as a reminder.

You know I love ya, Don

Joy, Fear, Worries....the Lord has come.

“But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”- Luke 1:30-33

Joy is the keynote of the entire Advent season, especially for the Christian, who realizes its spiritual significance---God Himself invading this world and providing a means that sinful man might live eternally. This next Sunday the Park Chapel Worship Choir will present, "Joy to the World." I am excited about the presentation and the offering of worship we will share while declaring God's worth in our lives.

We will forget our worries and turn our hearts toward a grander precept of love and the truth that God has touched history and changed the lives of believers all around the world. Much like we see the angel reassure Mary to not be afraid, we too hear the angel voices to not be afraid but to have joy for the Lord has come.

Take time to be joyful and allow God to seize your worries and fears. We have truly found favor because the Lord has come.

You know I love ya - Don