Leading Scottish historian Tom Devine who backs independence for Scotland: "The referendum campaign has been the most exciting thing to happen to Scotland in my lifetime."

Greetings. It is Wednesday, September 17, 2014, and it's the last day for this week that I will be showing up early here at my workstation. Just think of how good it will be to sleep late in the morning. Right? Maybe. Late for me would be 5 a.m. Sleeping in would be like 6 a.m. But, I'm not worried about it because I can always get up and grab hold of a steaming hot cup of Community to get my day off to a good start. Don't I overdo it just a tad on the Community? Good observation. You would not be the first to notice that. I know many years ago I was introduced to a fellow from Microsoft and his title was Product Evangelist. Hello? I had never heard that one. His job was to go around introducing people to their product line that they may have never heard about. Some have recommended that kind of job for me with the Community Coffee Company. I appreciate the thought but I am pretty much only committed to one version of their product line and nothing else, and in addition to that, while I do love my Community, it is mostly a long running Louisiana coffee source for anecdotes. I would have a whole lot of trouble introducing anyone to Pumpkin Praline. In fact, I nearly gagged just writing that sentence. Okay. Scratch the Community Coffee Evangelist job. I think I will brew me up another cup of that Cafe Special Medium-Dark Roast and sit back and think about it for a while. Feel free to do the same. Pumpkin Praline? Whoever heard tell?

Tomorrow is a critically important day for the people of Scotland. They will be voting in a referendum to decide whether to remain as a part of Great Britain or to become their own free standing independent nation. I've written numerous times about the nationalistic spirit of many Scots as we observed them in a visit there a number of years ago. There does exist that Braveheart mentality where they yearn to be free. However, there are huge obstacles involving everything from currency to military to energy. The ruling party in London along with the majority of Britain are in a race to try to convince the Scots to stay in the union. The campaigning on both sides has been ferocious. Many nations are watching the outcome as they too have provinces that are considering their status. When you have children that are taught to reverence a battle in 1314 that established Scotland's nation status which has been lost now for some three hundred years, well, that gnawing gut feel for freedom is a feature of their outlook and perspective. It will be interesting to see the results. Interesting indeed!

My guess is that should they become independent, there are no doubt folks around that are in line to sit on the royal throne of Scotland. That's right. Tourist trade and all that rubbish as they say across the pond will be a big deal. At any rate, as they say here in our land, we've got our own fish to fry. Remember what I told you about how the Presidential speech about the terrorist threat was intended to improve polling numbers? Well, Americans are not buying it. According to a recent NBC News poll, some 70% of US citizenry lack confidence in the President and in his ability to deal with this reported crisis. I think I may have told you that was my reading but saying I told you so doesn't really help to change the conditions on the ground. I just finished teaching the Book of Habakkuk on Sunday mornings. Here we find the Prophet looking at a world in melt down. It appeared to him that evil was winning and perhaps God was not involving Himself in all that was happening. God spoke to the Prophet and let him know that even in the midst of calamity and chaos that His Sovereign Plan was still advancing and that Habakkuk could be certain that in the end God and His people will be vindicated. Habakkuk started in a confused state of worry and exasperation. After hearing from God, he bowed and sang a song of worship and adoration. Now, that's something we all can learn from as we see our world being turned upside down. God is still at work and we can be sure of that. Amen.   ....More later.