A blizzard pounded away at the Midwestern section of the United States.  High winds, deep snow and sub-zero temperatures combined to create dangerous conditions for man and beast.

Day after day, for eleven days, snow continued to fall until 45 inches of white powdery fluff threatened to bring life to a halt.  As temperatures hovered at minus 12 degrees, cars refused to start.  For those whose cars started, dangerous black ice appeared on the roadways.  People had to walk away from their abandoned cars as they slid into ditches and towing services were too busy to help.  Shovels and snow blowers were sold out.  Furnaces stopped working, water pumps and pipes froze.

The storm continued to ...

Do you know about Letterboxing? I just recently was introduced to it. Here is how it works: Go on-line to the Letterboxing site, find an area in your part of the world where you would like to search for a hidden treasure. Print off the directions which will aid you in your search. Get ready and go.

If you are fortunate, you will find the treasure you search for and you will be so excited. Usually the treasure you seek is in a weather-proof container with a log book within which you can briefly sign your name and date, proving that you were there. As an added bonus, within the container are treasures for which you can trade. You place an object which belongs to you within the capsule and you may take something.

This scenario reminds me of our sea ...

A decision needed to be made.  A meeting was to be held the next night.  The  weatherman clearly predicted that heavy snow would begin falling that afternoon and by evening the snow was expected to be quite deep.

With those predictions in mind, I canceled the meeting.  No one needed to risk life and limb in the bone chilling winter temperatures and on slick roadways.

As the next afternoon arrived. . . and on into the evening . . . not one snowflake fell from the sky.  All was clear.  There could have been a meeting. I began to second guess myself . . . should I have . . . shouldn't I have. . . .  We've all been there.  We make a decision prayerfully - sometimes even a BIG decision and then the results of the decision unfold and we wonder.< ...

 Last summer I heard something that sounded like a fire breathing dragon go over my house. As I ran outside to see what was happening, a hot air balloon was just barely skimming the treetops. It was in trouble with power lines and civilization too close. I decided to follow it in my vehicle to see where it would land. A mile from my home, the balloon lost its battle to stay aloft, finally coming to rest in a swampy area, surrounded by low hills, trees and water.

The chase crew showed up quickly to help the balloonist. Standing on the hillside with camera in hand, I watched as the crew tried to tug and pull the balloon up and out of that swamp. It was hot. It was impossible. The more the crew worked at it, the harder it became. The mosquitoes were biting them, the ...

It looked like fun.  Bass boats were gathering at the lake for an informal tournament here in the village.  My son and I grabbed our funny little boats to go out on the lake to watch the fun. Little did I realize that, as I paddled to a safe spot away from the powerful engines, that the aroma of gas fumes and engine exhausts would be carried by the wind straight into my lungs.  I couldn’t change positions or hold my breath long enough.

Over the next couple of days I could feel my throat and lungs reacting to the toxins I had inhaled.  A respiratory infection set in, I was exhausted from fighting the germs and I needed to come to a complete stop.  It became very clear to me, the importance of the scripture:
“If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for His purpose.  Your life will be clean and you will be rea ...

The other day as I drove through my village, I noticed that the old bowling alley which had perched along the edge of the lake was gone - bulldozed - leveled to the ground.  All that was left was a pile of rubble.

The woods across the lake were just beginning to change into their autumn dress.  It had been gray and gloomy all day until, just before the sun set, a burst of light turned the woods a golden color.  Never would I look again at those trees without seeing them bathed in glorious light.

God sometimes does this in our lives, too.  Life can be going along quite normally day after normal day.  Then all of a sudden God shines His precious light on our lives.  Perhaps He shines His light on something which pleases Him - our love for Him, our loyalty to Him, our service to Him.  Or He may shine His light on something which displeases Him.

No matter what God shines His light upon, the terrain of our lives is never the same again.  Once He has spoken to us abo ...

 A new year, it says on the calendar.  Blank days stretch ahead of us which we will fill with all sorts of events which will have their own joys, sorrows, adventures, difficulties and laughter-filled moments.

Recently I heard of a person who loved God more than life itself.  He decided to surrender all he owned to God.  To prove that love, he made a list of those things he valued:  his career, his family, his bank account, his home, hobbies.  All of it.  He promised to read his Bible, give his tithe and sing in the choir. The list was long but he wanted to prove his love for God.  He signed his name at the bottom of the list to show his sincerity.  And presented it to God.

 A New Year is ahead.  Let’s talk about salt.  No, not the kind that you throw out on the sidewalk to melt the ice or the kind we throw in a pot of stew or sprinkle on a homemade pretzel. Let’s talk about the kind of salt Jesus said we are to be in this world:

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored?   It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.”                    Matthew 5:13

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