Revitalize Your Church

It's snowing today. The weatherman has joined Salman Rushdie in hiding. (I took this picture from my front door this morning. We've been in meltdown mode lately -- but the report last night said that we have up to eight more inches on the way!) Where is spring? That's what I want to know! Everybody around town has been asking the same question, too. Tomorrow's April, for heaven's sake. This time last year, we were sunbathing. This year, we're still wearing long johns. Last year, the crocuses bloomed. This year, we're shoveling the bloomin' sidewalks. . . again. Last year, we made fishing plans. This year, we're still ice fishing, and wondering what the plan will be if the thaw doesn't come before opener. Where are those robins, by the way? Once again I ask. . . where is spring? And here's the answer: Spring is here! Beneath the surface of the earth, she has already sprung! We just haven't seen much evidence of her yet. I guarantee you, th...

My good friend, Wendy, who is a college professor in Palm Springs, recently shared an inspiring insight with me: I have been amazed and humbled this spring in the desert. For the first two years I was here, we had no rain. Then this past winter, we've had some rain every weekend. There were bushes that had all dried up--they looked like dead sticks. The rain came--after 2 years--and they started to turn green. Now, they are covered with flower blossoms! Imagine believing, hoping, enduring for 3 years with no nourishment. Imagine then, with just 5 inches of rain total, coming out in your full glory. Do I have faith enough to endure 3 years of waiting for my basic needs to be met--let alone all the frilly little things I ask for????? D o I store up enough nourishment to withstand three years onslaught of parched sand? And then coming out with all the best I have inside of me with no apparent bitterness for the wait?

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." -- Doug Larson