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June 11, 2020, Good afternoon, What a beautiful drive this morning. The sunshine bounced off the trees, the road and the silos. The crops were out, soaking up the rain from last night and the sunshine this morning. The clouds were all over the sky, making shapes into other shapes, floating along to eternity. The sun went in and out of the clouds, blasting heat and light into our world. The wind is strong, and then dies down to a crawl, and then rises to blow away again. And the temperature is a comfortable 17 or so, and not the blazing 32 from yesterday. What a privilege to drive this road to Poole a few times a week. In all seasons, it shows a different part of God's creation. The whiteouts from the winter I can do without. In Psalm 8, it says: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? It is always difficult to describe the greatness of creation, but the writer of the Psalms tries to do it in many different ways. Here he talks about the fingers of God. These fingers had fashioned the moon and stars by shaping these great things out of nothing. I am not God, so I am truly amazed at them, the sun, the planets, the sky and the sea. In Psalm 137 it says: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. This is how God created both male and female, by knitting together all the parts of our body. Did he create our soul first, and then our body, or was it the other way around. It does not matter at all. We are perfect in the eyes of God. We should not feel ashamed about ourselves because we are created in the image of Almighty and Everlasting God. No shame in that. This is the way of God. When I drive back this evening, the sun will be in the west. If the sun is still shining, it hits a red barn just right, and the redness of the paint shines out into the sky. It may be cloudy, and no sun, or there might be a sun to bring light to the darkness of the evening. Whatever it is, it is God and God's creation to live inside of, and experience. Prayer Dear God, I know what earth looks like, I see it everyday. But, you are creator of heaven and earth. What does heaven look like ? And who lives there now, and at creation ? Is it sunny all the time, or is there no weather at all And do we have to eat ? And do we see our family ? And can we travel anywhere ? These are all earthy questions, for I am an earthly guy. I will wait for the heavenly answers. AMEN Salaam and Strength for our journey together. Fred Tread on bold new paths ! Fireflies flash the direction Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020 Fred Redekop Pastor Poole Mennonite Church
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Ponder Anew 