Let another week begin! Happy Monday. Last week was a mixed bag of a week. It started off with Amanda's accident and her miracuous escape from that truck and being able to get her boyfriend out of the truck too; and neither of them having much more than scrapes and bruises. Then Julie and Jim searching for their first home to buy; and yes, they found one and their offer was accepted; and then I played a solo on my trumpet for the worship service yesterday and made it through with zero missed notes and a lot of compliments. All in all, that was an exciting week.

This morning has been an adventurous morning in the back yard too. Many of my feeders are empty this morning which is frustrating the squirrels as they go from one to another looking for an easy meal. The ones that do have food in them, are ones that they haven't figured out how to get into yet. But --- they have a bigger problem this morning and it comes in the form of the neighbors big yellow cat. Norally when Julie brngs the pups over they chase the squirrels and the squirrels run up the tree  about six feet and the pups are left wanting. The squirrels found out this morning that the big yellow cat will go sraight on up the tree after them. so it has been interesting watching that little circus play out this morning. I don't like the cat being in my yard because I spend lots of money to keep the birds here. But, if it is leaving my birds alone and trying to get the squirrel --- have at it.

We've had several bluejays here this weekend too. I had four again this morning. They really like the shelled peanuts that I've been putting out. Between the bluejays and the grackels, there is almost always a bird on that particular feeder. And, it is a hard mesh wire feeder and the squirrels can only see and smell the peanuts, but so far they haven't figured out how to get anything out of it. But they are like Joshua at Jericho; they keep circling the feeder trying to figure a way in.

Its a rainy day as another front passes through. I think it is supposed to be pretty well over by this evening. We don't have a lot on our agenda for this week. I will go do my visitations and of course I'll need to go up to the church and take care of the admin stuff there. But that is about it other than normal stuff like planning services and writing. We only have three weeks of our combined parish services left and then everything reverts back to the regular schedule times and services. I'm really glad that the churches have agreed to do this. It just makes sense. Yesterday, we had several families out for vacation and for the beginning of the state fair. Had we been doing two services attendance would have really looked thin. But now, school starts today and folks will be back home. I expect we will have aa full sanctuary for the next few weeks.

Max Lucado had a great devotional on Facebook this morning. It gave me good stuff to think about and maybe even turn into a sermon. It was a selection out of his book called "The Applause of Heaven", on realizing that no matter what your situation is in life, in reality, you have everything you need when you have a relationship with God. I try to remember that most of the times but sometimes my list of "wanted stuff" gets in my way.

This morning I lift up prayers once again for friends and loved ones that are sick. Some are terminal and they know it. Almost all of the people on our prayer list at church are victims of cancer; most in stage four; including my brother-in-law. I --- we--- lift up prayers everyday for their comfort. We fully realize that God heard us the first time and will answer in what ever manner God choses to do so and in God's time. But we continue to pray because we use prayer for them as our "last stand" against pending grief and loss. It is the only thing we feel that we can do and the only thing that we need to do if in fact we have turned over our life to God. And so we pray, maybe as nothing more than a reminder to God that this person, --- these people, -- are people we love and care about and we are grateful that they have touched our life. Reach out today and touch someone who is important in your life. Give God thanks for that person or those people. And when you smile as you think of them --- you are remembering blessings sent from God.