"All things through Christ."

I woke up again this morning. Blessed. I'm able to function, go about my affairs, and take care of my business. Blessed. I have the presence of mind to thank God for His provisions. Blessed. That's not a bad way to start any day. Right? Amen. And, this day is Thursday, September 26, 2019. What about when, for whatever the reason might be, I'm not able to do those things. What about when I'm dealing with heartache and pain? What about when my life seems to be falling apart? Believe me, we all have been there and done that as we make our way through this journey called life. As a believer, one who has given their life to the Lord Jesus Christ, the simple answer is the same: Blessed! Even when we can't feel it, see it, touch it, and it seems so far away, in actuality, the truth is, we are still blessed. Here's a verse I need to embrace: "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1st Thessalonians 5:18 from the Holman Christian Standard Bible) When we choose to praise God and express our thanksgiving we can realize the power of the testimony given by inspiration by the Apostle Paul, "I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:12-13, New King James Version, NKJV) This verse is often on a t-shirt or bumper sticker and folks see it as a happy go lucky living above it all type of tiptoeing through the tulips type of lifestyle. Think about what Paul said, with the help of Christ he could deal with being abased, belittled, degraded. He could deal with being hungry and when he suffered need. And, at the same time, with the help of Christ, he could also handle times of abundance as God would have him to. All things. Great, good, pleasant, horrible, bad, sad, happy, desperate, and everything in-between, through Christ we can make it. Amen and Amen.

If you didn't need my little sermonette today, you will. Eventually. I have 73 plus years of all-of-the-above to know the reality of exactly what Paul was inspired to share with us. I do not know precisely why I wrote that first paragraph. I sat down. I didn't have a subject in mind and I started writing. The ability to even do that is a blessing. That's how it unfolded. As I continued, the Paul Harvey 'rest of the story' came forth. I certainly don't see my writing as being inspired in the Biblical sense of the word. However, I do know when I write about matters that reflect upon the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, as found in God's Holy Word, well, those words are inspired which means they were breathed out by God Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit. Maybe the reason I wrote that little essay is because of me needing to hear it again, for the first time. I remember the wife and I singing a song many years ago with this as its message: "I can't even walk without You holding my hand." How true! Through Christ. Let me reword that: "I can walk with You holding my hand." Amen.

Being fixated on always looking for cooler weather has become a part of my make-up. A conversation the other evening was interesting because someone said they would be so happy when they could watch their kid's football game in cooler weather. I immediately piped up that according to the most recent projections they should have some of that by mid-October. They looked at me and then they looked at one another. I certainly wasn't trying to come off as the weather-answer-man, but, as most of you know, I have been paying attention to this particular question. I should have added the caveat saying my answer about cooler weather was based on projections made by so-called professional experts, and, their track record is sketchy at best. I couldn't tell them I knew this because of my achy bones. That wouldn't work. My bones ache most of the time. That too is a part of the three score, ten, three years and counting. I do seem to recall as a kid I did hear some who had different ways of knowing when the weather might change. Believe it or not, this does have a ring of truth. Here's an explanation from the Farmers Almanac: "While not every piece of old weather lore is true, evidence seems to suggest that this one is based in fact. As far back as the 1960s, medical researchers have found, over and over again, that there is a genuine connection between increased pain and cold, wet weather. While the effect is most commonly linked to arthritis sufferers, many have also reported feeling increased pain from nerve disorders, recently healed fractures, migraines, toothaches, corns, and even scars, when the weather was about to change." There you have it. Sudden increased nerve pain? Grab your umbrella! With that, I will say so long until we meet again. May God bless. Amen. ....More later.