It is a little hard to type this morning on my IPad keyboard because my leg is tapping to the music of the Gaithers singing “There is Power in the Blood”. So, yes, I’m creating my own problem. But — it is a great problem to have. And it always happpens when I’m in the mood for some good southern gospel music, which is daily.

I have yard full of Backyard Buffet guests today. I have a yard full of robins this morning. They are scratching around through the leaves out there. They don’t eat from the feeders so I’m not really sure what they find out there that they like. I threw out a lot of bread this morning because I also have a bunch of starlings and they love bread. There is also a half dozen doves out there grazing in the leaves. I see at least a half dozen cardinals plus finches, and woodpeckers. So, my yard is just full of God’s blessings and I do so enjoy it.

We had a great choir practice last evening. We were practicing one of my favorite songs, ((I have so many). Next week Pastor Art is doing his sermon based around Ecumenical Sunday and Martin Luther King’s birthday. So, he asked if the choir could do some Negro Spirtuals. (Hmmmm, Iwonder if it is still acceptable to call them Negro Spirituals, or if we are supposd to just call them “Spirituals”?)  I managed to get a copy of “Down By the River to Pray” from a friend and we practiced that last night. It will go quite well. He also has the folks that do our Praise Music to try to do a spiritual and they were excited to do that. Who knows, we might have our “traditional” old church rocking for the Lord. I love to hear and sing the historically traditional hymns , but I also love to listen to and sing the southern gospel and the spirituals. I’m not crazy about what they call “praise music” because I fail to find the liturgical value in it so very often. It seems like we just sing the same words over and over in a four chord range. It is neither melodic nor meaningful to me.

I came up with some sermon thoughts last night around midnight and it was really too late to be going back downstairs and start writing. So, thankfully God has allowed me to not forget the thought pattern I had going so I’m anxious to go down and get started on it. Generally when an idea hits me like this the sermon either turns out pretty good and rather quickly or — sometime I get about two pages into it and then go blank. So, we’ll just have to see what happens this time. While I do that, how about all of you folks sitting back and and taking a little time to give God thanks for the day you are having today. You might not think you are having a great day and maybe you are suffering or worried in some way but God is there with you at every breath. Remember that and relax.  Peace.