Sunday morning sunrise

Last Sunday I was walking to church to get ready for morning worship and I stopped on my way to marvel at the beautiful scene overhead.  The clouds and sun and the stillness of the morning all helped me realize what a gift it is to get up and view such a creation and to follow that up with a morning of worship.  It makes me wonder why so many people find the idea of worshipping God so odd.  To me it doesn't seem odd at all; it seems like the most natural thing in the world.  It seems to me that the creation itself cries out for us to praise the Creator.  And besides all that it gives me joy.

nature on display

Out on a walk in the Hormel Nature Center yesterday, Ruth and I came upon a group of monarchs clustered on the flower in the lower photo.  (You can see them if you look closely.) Small and fragile as they are, it's hard to believe that they will soon begin their thousand-mile journey to Mexico where they will winter, breed and die.  When we view nature it becomes immediately apparent how much death is a part of life.  Somehow, we humans have a hard time coming to terms with that.

Graffiti Gospel

My wife, Ruth, and I were out for a bike ride this afternoon when we came around the corner at Mill Pond in Austin, Minnesota where we live and here was this colorful graffiti.  It was done this summer by some kids in our church.  I had heard about it, but only now saw it for the first time.  OSLC, by the way, is for Our Savior's Lutheran Church and the kids who painted this obviously have a love for God and for music.  Pretty cool.

What isn't obvious is that this mural was painted over something else.  If I remember correctly there was some gang graffiti here prior to this and so not only did the group eliminate that, they proclaimed the Gospel as well.  Way to go!

Our world is filled with violence.  Perhaps it is part of our call as followers of Jesus to bring an alternative world view - that there is a promise that is greater than the violence.  It is the promise of God's love, which is alive in God's people.  Sing on!