Monday morning, --- the beginning of a whole new week. This one will be a full one too. Today, I need to begin by re-printing my sermon for this Sunday. I just went through it and made several corrections and rewordings. Now I need to get to my computer and fix it. Then I need to go to the church and get the bulletins run off and the church set up for Sunday. While I am up that way, I'll go a little farther and visit my lady in the nursing home.

Tomorrow we drive to western Missouri; Wednesday I bury my friend and start back home. Thursday we get home in time to take my mother out to celebrate her 97th birthday. Friday I'll hopefully crawl on my little John Deere and mow my yard. Maybe I'll just sit on it for a while and enjoy  the peace and quiet. Maybe I'll  do "Notes from the John Deere".

I went out and filled several feeders first thing this morning. It was already muggy outside. It is a cloudy day and more showers are anticipated. I'm hoping it will be a dry and sunny day for the funeral. I hate rainy day funerals. Personal grief is bad enough without the sky crying too. People don't think about the joy of the resurrection on a day like that. They only concentrate on their misery.

We had a very well attended worship service yesterday. I love these summer combined services. The music swells up through the rafters and fills the church. Our organist at St. Lucas plays beautifully and our Baby Grand Kurzweil keyboard is such a wonderful instrument to showcase her talent. I have the same instrument sitting in my living room and love to sit and play, but I don't have a tenth of the knowledge and ability that Brenda does. Her mom was just as talented and played the organ at church for about fifty years. I could listen to either one of them for hours.

My prayers this morning are numerous and wide spread. I pray for my friend's wife as she has to bury her husband this week. I pray for all of my friends who are traveling long distances to attend this funeral. I lift up Byron again this week as he goes to have a port put into his chest and pray that will work well for him. And finally, I pray for my home church. After months of frustration and infighting, I learned the pastor resigned yesterday. It amazes me that people can belong to a church and lose God in the process. But that is what happens when people forget that the church is Christ's church and not their personal property. I pray they will turn to God in search of forgiveness and guidance. I pray they find peace.

Have a blessed day.