"Vacationing in Vermont, I picked up the local paper to check out the forecast. It read: Today: Sunny, 76. Tonight: Not so sunny, 55." — Norrine Trono, Reader's Digest

Good Thursday morning and welcome. It's February 25, 2016 and we are all drying out. That shouldn't be too hard with all the March winds preview we've had the last couple of days. I saw something that gave me a smile last Tuesday morning. In the midst of a very active rainstorm the traffic guy on one of the local TV stations put up a map and tweeted out the following comment: "I'm no weatherman but I can confidently predict that you will be dealing with rain during your commute this morning." The map was filled up with all kinds of red warnings overlaid over the traffic grid. Hey, I could have made that forecast. I mean looking outside and telling everyone what is currently happening is not all that hard. It reminds me of a quote from Dr. Seuss, "The storm starts when the drops start dropping When the drops stop dropping then the storm starts stopping." Now that's my kind of meteorological observation. Hey. We all want to know about the weather. Obviously beforehand if possible. Unlike the humorist and writer from the early 1900's, Jerome K. Jerome, who had this to say about the weather, "But who wants to be foretold the weather? It is bad enough when it comes, without our having the misery of knowing about it beforehand." Jesus gave a comparison between working hard to understand the weather versus focusing in on understanding crucial spiritual truths, "Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times." (Matthew 16, Verses 1-3)

The other morning I was listening to a radio feed from Brisbane, Australia. It was early here but late over there. You know. Time zones. They have a late night talk show. I used to listen to it quite often. On that particular show they had a commentator talking about the presidential campaign underway in the states (that would be us.) The commentator was scratching his head over what he was seeing. It was hard to make sense of. He said the rest of the world can hardly believe that a bombastic billionaire reality TV star is actually in the running to become the leader of the free world. He was not necessarily that impressed with the others running including those on the democratic ticket but he seemed to be genuinely confused by what he was observing. He really didn't know what to make of it. He told several jokes he had heard about our process and those participating in it. Okay. He's not from around these parts. I am. But, I must say I can very much identify with his confusion and how it is hard to make sense of. That fellow was using a mocking tone so don't get me wrong, I'm not at all concerned about foreigners and how they may or may not appreciate our way of life, however, he presented what I have been saying for some time now, these are some amazingly strange times we are living in. They really are. Think about it. Here's my bottom line: Only God can help us now.

I am very much aware of the chicken little story. In fact, we even saw the cartoon movie made about that character. I'm not by nature a gloom and doom person but as I stutter step my way to three score and ten something is very different about all of this. Speaking of chicken little who thought the sky was falling, there's quite a bit about our current situation that points us in the direction of the sky. ~  "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." (Psalm 19:1) ~ "And all the host of heaven will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree." (Isaiah 34:4) ~ "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be." (Matthew 24:27) ~  "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28) There are many others but those should encourage us during these confusing and chaotic times. The good news is how that God has allowed us to know what the future of this world will be and how that He would have us to be alert and watching as that time grows ever closer. Amen. ....More later.