"Blessed, very blessed!"

#68, Rodney Darrell...............#20 Brady Darrell

Let's get back to it on this Monday, October 7, 2013. We are living in some strange times folks, but, I would submit that most people who have ever populated the earth thought the same thing in their environment from time to time. It comes with the package marked humanity with the word fallen added to it. Government partial shut down, debt limit battle ensues, lady with baby in her car is killed by the police after she attempted to enter a protected zone near the White House, Tropical Storm Karen, bombings every day in the Middle East, new healthcare law war stories, Iranians say they want to come clean, Syrian chemical weaponry issues, and, if those are not enough, we have the daily this, that, and the other types of challenges that each one of us must deal with. I went to see our Brady Darrell play football last Thursday evening. I had to park a good ways from the stands. While walking I came up beside an older gentleman who was taking tiny baby steps. He most likely had previously suffered a stroke. I was about to pass him when he looked at me and I asked how he was doing. His eyes had this sparkle as he responded with a determined and cheerful voice, "Blessed, very blessed!" That's how we are able to deal with all the stuff that surrounds our life. And, it also helps to see your grandson out there diving headfirst into the tackle piles. Go Brady go!

It's now pitch dark at 6:25 a.m. when I unlock all our facilities here at work. I mean it's the you can't see your-hand-in-front-of-your-face dark. It's a change in the season. Did you know that these seasonal changes were ordained and promised by God? After the flood subsided, God made this promise to Noah, "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease." (Genesis Chapter 8, Verse 22) I'm glad we can rely on the promises of God. During the summer months I didn't need my flashlight to find my way around but without it now, there's no telling what I would bump into. That reminds me of another verse, "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119, Verse 105) They tell the story about a shepherd as he comes down the mountainside in the dark, leading his sheep. He may have strapped a lantern to his leg to guide his way. He needed two things. Enough light to take the next step and enough light to show the way forward. I'll let you make the illumination application as you see fit.

We all know the world can be a very dark place. While Jesus was here, He spoke often about light and darkness. The popular song from 1965 said, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love It's the only thing that there's just too little of What the world needs now is love, sweet love, No not just for some but for everyone." That's a great thought but here's a word from Jesus that deals with the essence of light and love, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8:12) I suppose I thought about this because of how easy it is for me to stumble and fall, especially when I walk around without a light to guide my steps. Okay. Enough preaching for one day. I suppose I could close by taking up an offering but that might be carrying it just a bit too far. I do hope you will have a good Monday and may God help us all to seek Him as our guide in life. Amen.   ....More later.