Matthew 6:11 "Give us this day our daily bread."

Today. Thursday. February 8, 2018. It's ours. What will I do with it? What will you do with it? The other day an older fellow mentioned something to me as I stood at his pew visiting with him in the aisle of our Church auditorium. He asked if I had noticed how many times the phrase "this day" is used in Deuteronomy. I told him I didn't think I had. He said he hadn't either but when he saw it used over and over again, it helped him to be reminded to focus on 'this day' that we have. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. But, this day. I couldn't just leave it at that. The next day I did a search and found 'this day' is specifically mentioned 70 times in the Book of Deuteronomy. Further, it is a phrase used some 370 times in the entire Bible. This focus on the day we have before us is a consistent theme throughout God's Word to us from the Holy Bible. We all are familiar with Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the LORD has brought about. We will be happy and rejoice in it." We also might remember the example of our Lord's words from John 9:4, "We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work." I look at my calendar book where I make notes about things that stand out from the day. It has nothing recorded yet for 'this day'. I pray that God will help us all, wherever we happen to be, to accomplish things that honor Him and help others as we embrace 'this day'. Amen.

While I was sitting at my desk on Tuesday afternoon, the live feed of the rocket launch came up on my computer screen in a pop-up box. This was the launch from Kennedy Space Center of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, said to be the most powerful in history. I have watched many of the early launches throughout America's space program. I can remember how stunned we were to see what was being accomplished. Those live images were amazing. As I watched this most recent launch, I found myself experiencing the very same feelings all over again. Amazing. Mind-boggling. I recommend to anyone to find that clip and watch it for themselves. Probably the most captivating to me was to see them separate and then land the two enormous rocket boosters back onto a landing pad. The cameras mounted at different places and on the rocket itself gave some of the best shots of all that was happening. I paused to thank God for His provisions in allowing His created human family to learn the things necessary to plan, build, and accomplish such a startling feat. At the same time, I couldn't help but be struck by the fact that while we might attain the greatest of knowledge here on earth, unless we become as a little child in recognizing our need of a Savior, and reaching out to Jesus, all that we might know amounts to nothing when it comes to eternity. (1st Corinthians 3:19 "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, 'He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness;....'")

There is a Facebook page set aside for the sharing of memories associated with the little rural Louisiana town where I grew up. Folks share with each other about the people and the happenings from days gone by. I occasionally chime in because the subject is one that I remember well. But, here's the rub. My recollections are from the mid-1950's to the mid-1960's. Most of those sharing see the old days as being in the 1970's or later. The other day the discussion was focused on the little cafe that was there when we were growing up. The Wagon Wheel Cafe. I shared how special it was for me to have enough money to buy a burger there. The milk. I had never had milk so cold. Our milk at home was okay but it wasn't like that. Another fellow also added his anecdotes. Then, one of those 1970's kids put on there, "Man, you guys are really old." He went on to talk about how that cafe changed hands and changed names and eventually burned down. I wasn't around when that happened. But, it does show us all how that our memories are dated and my generation doesn't have that many of us checking out stuff like that page on Facebook. Because of this, I am outnumbered. They called it what? The Hornet's Nest Cafe. Whoever heard tell? Obviously, people younger than me, given the lively discussions that ensued. That's okay. I still enjoy thinking about my version. It's the one that works for me. Have a memorable rest of the day and may God bless us all is my prayer. Amen. ....More later.