Category: Prose

When I die I want the wind blowing into my face and around my head, and through whatever hair may still be growing there. Don’t package me up into a warm bed, in a warm room, to patiently await my expiration date. I want to be in the wilds, smelling the fresh pine, and not my own urine—if I am still able to smell anything at all. I want to feel that fresh breeze, blowing into my face; not pure oxygen from a tube thrust up my nose. Let me gaze out towards the horizon, and not up at the ceiling; out at the sky—streaked with golds and purple—and not up at an old brown water stain from a leak hidden someplace above the tiles. If I must go I want to go under the trees, and not in my bed, soiling my sheets. If you see me gasping and clutching at my chest, but I’m near a pond, on a mountain, or on a beach, leave me be. I’m dying my best death. Don’t ruin it for me with a call to the ambulance, or a trip to a hospital. When it is time to lay me down, into the earth, do not burn me. The time for fire is over; if I am to burn, let me burn while still alive: burning with love and burning with hope. Ignite me now with desire for all that is good, and all that is noble. Dress me in a simple gown, and place me in a plain pine box; and drop me into the earth to await my lord and king. And I don’t want to wear a suit, or a tie; those are fine, for other people’s funerals, but not for my own, thank you. I don’t need fanfare, I don’t expect a visit from dignitaries. Just close my eyelids, and set a little cross upon my breast. When I die, just say a little prayer and let me go. 

~FS

Prayer is the gravity that anchors our being in peace. Prayer calms the thoughts and puts order to our searching. Prayer is our center and our arrow; it aims us at our target—Jesus Christ. I know that many people today don’t understand a need for Christ, they think he is foolishness, uselessness, or even damaging. But this is confusion, if we think Christ is these things we deny our hope, our strength and our source of healing. All good things within our heart and mind derive from a close relationship with Jesus Christ. Prayer guides us into the intimate depths of this most essential relationship. We must spend time in prayer, to know the peace that brings the chaotic confusion of this life to rest. I understand very little about this world but I understand something about prayer. Prayer is the most essential thing. It is the means of transcending sorrow and pain; it is the balm that allows Christ access to our heart in order to heal us. 

~FS

Pain casts us into many roles. It is a clever dramatist. One moment we are smug and disdain it—when it is light—the next moment it can torment us into unrecognizable beasts—when it is at its worst. It has the power to inspire, turning us into saints who run to alleviate the pain of others, and it has also the creativity to debase, transmogrifying us into devils who run to destroy others in order to alleviate the pain within ourselves.

I could be a Hitler. Sure. I could be a Mother Teresa as well. I could also be the drug addict laying on the sidewalk. I could be the parent praying fervently at their child’s hospital bedside, or the parent drowning their children in a bathtub. Pain drives us to many different conclusions. It can make us mad, and it can drive us mad. There are not enough tears in heaven, I think, to soothe all the pain on this earth. There is a hope of a future world without pain, but for now, there is enough pain in one square mile of dirt, to fill an entire universe.

Sometimes we are able to bear pain, by God’s grace, and can extend our hearts to others, helping to bear their pain as well. We enter into their pain, and we share it, and together we are softened and drawn close in bonds of charitable love. We endure, we struggle, we pray, we do whatever we can to lessen the pain of those we love. We are broken by the pain, and are subjected to extremes. The pain we feel in our own heart ignites and burns within us, and we pour ourselves out: in anger, in rampant love, in vengeance, in hope and faith, in desperation. The pain we see in others can make us frantic—though once our efforts to help them appear fruitless—it can turn our heart cold, we let ourselves freeze, to protect ourselves from further pain. We cannot look any longer, we turn the other way. It is sensible, what else can we do? The pain of others, especially those we know and love, will tear us to shreds, it will annihilate us, and break us, seemingly, beyond repair.

Sometimes we prefer narcissism, hedonism, or some other diversion from the pain of this life. At some point it just can be too much to bear; everyone has their limit. How can we fault them? Certainly we can judge them, especially if we aren’t feeling too much pain ourselves at the moment. I can’t fault them. Pain dialed up to a certain intensity is the stimulus for all manner of human failings. I’m grateful I haven’t endured that much pain.

But I’ve certainly had my share of it, and more than I’d like. As we all have, I would suspect. So, how can I judge even those who judge, or those who accuse others? Human judgement of others is just one more human response to pain; to the frustration that life, and human nature, isn’t what we wish it would be. Pain is a vicious cycle; one pain leading to another pain, and that pain feeding the next one. There is an end to pain in the next life (supposing you believe in that), but for now, pain is a very demented dramatist—casting us into roles we’d mainly like to avoid.  

~FS

Are you perplexed? Are you distressed? Have you despair? Might you be harboring anger? Take a deep breath, and let your mind rest. Look up at the sky, at the wide expanse that stretches beyond view; the calming gray of the clouds rolling by, and the vibrant, clear blue. The sky is untroubled by our worries; let it untrouble you. The sun shines brightly upon us—lightly—and the rain falls, giving us life. If someone you love is nearby, give them a hug. If they are far off, pray for them, and draw them near with your heart; and by the movement of your kind thoughts, they may find light where they are. Charity, the love that gives, is never lost, when given away. Pray for your enemies too, and draw them with hope, into your circle of peace. They may not come willingly—but they are free—let them go as they wish, but always pray for them, calling them silently, with charity and hope. In this way, plant a garden within yourself, which will yield a bountiful harvest of simplicity and sweetness; and clear the weeds of hatred or self-righteousness which choke and constrict all that is good within you.

Give free reign to your goodness, but not that goodness which arises from your indignation; and be kind, but not the kindness that foments self-congratulation. Rather, let your goodness and kindness arise from below, nourished from above. Let your goodness grow up out of the soft soil of humility; hand out the fruit of your labors—to your neighbors, and your foes—from your knees, as it were. Looking up, and never down at them, as you share whatever gift it is that you possess to give them. If you are able, allow the soil of your humility to be fed by Divine Wisdom. Trust not in yourself, if you can resist that temptation; and trust not in the claims of this world, if you can resist that temptation. Rather, look only to the Truth that comes from above; seek it with sincerity and innocence. Cultivate faith and hope, for these things allow one to recognize that Truth.

Our world is at war with itself; with every faction fighting every other faction, tearing each other apart. For those with faith in the God of creation, He is our lodestone to guide us through the miasma of this world. We look for something to lean upon in the confusion that is growing and swirling around us, and it is the cross; the stake that is driven into this earth, and upon which all our hope and salvation hangs. Our world offers us many compelling truths, leading in many directions, to many different ends; but only one Truth leads out of this confusion, and into the light of peace, and into The Life that is eternal joy.

Try not to become addicted to bad news, which only manifests outrage and fear. Take deep breaths and long walks in nature. Fellowship with the plants and the animals, and closeness to the rhythms of creation, will help mollify anger and extinguish fear. For this reason, distance yourself from the allure of digital technology—what we are gaining in convenience we are losing in humanity. This technology is a chimera and it is deceitful, it promises us unification, but is delivering division; it is dividing our human family, and it is conquering us. Use it wisely and sparingly—as a tool—but not as a god, or as a nursemaid.

How can we, who can only understand ourselves in the smallest way, hope to understand the complexities of this world? Who of us understands our own emotions and motivations—how then can we understand what is in the heart of other people? For this reason, try to refrain from judgment or accusation; and keep praying for those you disagree with, or who actively hurt you. Pray for everyone who is suffering; which includes everyone on this planet. Try to do no harm; think before speaking, and wait before acting, and try to refrain from adding further injury to the problems that already are bringing such suffering and pain to our human family. Even so, we cannot avoid offenses, since competing truths are vying for supremacy here, and each truth is incompatible with the other.

For those of faith, hold fast to the Truth that is God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit, and defend it with charity, humility and firmness; never desiring offence towards anyone—even though offences will be interpreted and imputed to you by others. For those with a truth other than that found in God—if you are interested and able—begin to pray to God, read the Bible, attend services, befriend other believers, and learn the Truth that leads to ultimate human liberty, peace and eternal life. May God be with all people, and may His peace prevail. Above all, be below all. Make yourself as a little child; we are all little children before the face of God. We think, but we do not know; we act, but we fail. Therefore, forgive all people at all times. Forgiveness is the gateway to the kingdom of peace. Ask forgiveness, and give forgiveness, and may the God of peace gain entry into your heart forevermore.

~FS

Are you perplexed? Are you distressed? Have you despair? Might you be harboring anger? Take a deep breath, and let your mind rest. Look up at the sky, at the wide expanse that stretches beyond view; the calming gray of the clouds rolling by, and the vibrant, clear blue. The sky is untroubled by our worries; let it untrouble you. The sun shines brightly upon us—lightly—and the rain falls, giving us life. If someone you love is nearby, give them a hug. If they are far off, pray for them, and draw them near with your heart; and by the movement of your kind thoughts, they may find light where they are. Charity, the love that gives, is never lost, when given away. Pray for your enemies too, and draw them with hope, into your circle of peace. They may not come willingly—but they are free—let them go as they wish, but always pray for them, calling them silently, with charity and hope. In this way, plant a garden within yourself, which will yield a bountiful harvest of simplicity and sweetness; and clear the weeds of hatred or self-righteousness which choke and constrict all that is good within you.

Give free reign to your goodness, but not that goodness which arises from your indignation; and be kind, but not the kindness that foments self-congratulation. Rather, let your goodness and kindness arise from below, nourished from above. Let your goodness grow up out of the soft soil of humility; hand out the fruit of your labors—to your neighbors, and your foes—from your knees, as it were. Looking up, and never down at them, as you share whatever gift it is that you possess to give them. If you are able, allow the soil of your humility to be fed by Divine Wisdom. Trust not in yourself, if you can resist that temptation; and trust not in the claims of this world, if you can resist that temptation. Rather, look only to the Truth that comes from above; seek it with sincerity and innocence. Cultivate faith and hope, for these things allow one to recognize that Truth.

Our world is at war with itself; with every faction fighting every other faction, tearing each other apart. For those with faith in the God of creation, He is our lodestone to guide us through the miasma of this world. We look for something to lean upon in the confusion that is growing and swirling around us, and it is the cross; the stake that is driven into this earth, and upon which all our hope and salvation hangs. Our world offers us many compelling truths, leading in many directions, to many different ends; but only one Truth leads out of this confusion, and into the light of peace, and into The Life that is eternal joy.

Try not to become addicted to bad news, which only manifests outrage and fear. Take deep breaths and long walks in nature. Fellowship with the plants and the animals, and closeness to the rhythms of creation, will help mollify anger and extinguish fear. For this reason, distance yourself from the allure of digital technology—what we are gaining in convenience we are losing in humanity. This technology is a chimera and it is deceitful, it promises us unification, but is delivering division; it is dividing our human family, and it is conquering us. Use it wisely and sparingly—as a tool—but not as a god, or as a nursemaid.

How can we, who can only understand ourselves in the smallest way, hope to understand the complexities of this world? Who of us understands our own emotions and motivations—how then can we understand what is in the heart of other people? For this reason, try to refrain from judgment or accusation; and keep praying for those you disagree with, or who actively hurt you. Pray for everyone who is suffering; which includes everyone on this planet. Try to do no harm; think before speaking, and wait before acting, and try to refrain from adding further injury to the problems that already are bringing such suffering and pain to our human family. Even so, we cannot avoid offenses, since competing truths are vying for supremacy here, and each truth is incompatible with the other.

For those of faith, hold fast to the Truth that is God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit, and defend it with charity, humility and firmness; never desiring offence towards anyone—even though offences will be interpreted and imputed to you by others. For those with a truth other than that found in God—if you are interested and able—begin to pray to God, read the Bible, attend services, befriend other believers, and learn the Truth that leads to ultimate human liberty, peace and eternal life. May God be with all people, and may His peace prevail. Above all, be below all. Make yourself as a little child; we are all little children before the face of God. We think, but we do not know; we act, but we fail. Therefore, forgive all people at all times. Forgiveness is the gateway to the kingdom of peace. Ask forgiveness, and give forgiveness, and may the God of peace gain entry into your heart forevermore.

~FS

The Natural Wisdom of Children

I often reflect upon the humorous and pithy schoolyard sayings of my childhood. Many of them were brilliant one-liners that could pack a punch in an argument, and yet also could make you laugh. And they were tough comebacks, which gave your assailant little to say in response. In addition, they often rhymed and were also a lot of fun to say. For example, try saying this one: “I’m rubber and you’re glue, what you say bounces off me and sticks to you!”

It provides a funny visual image, of your attacker’s words flying through the air, bouncing off your forehead or belly, or whatever piece of anatomy you choose, and then twirling back and smacking your accuser right between the eyes. But it also expresses a powerful truth about accusations in general; that very often the person who is making the accusation is actually guiltier of what they are saying, than you are. It is a simple child’s statement that reveals the deeper psychological phenomena of ‘projection’, which most of us today have heard of and know a bit about.

Projection is a common human tendency to ascribe to other people the things within ourselves that cause us discomfort or shame. It is a defense mechanism, which people employ to shift the blame they feel, outward, to make themselves feel better, to shift attention away from themselves towards others, in order to find peace and freedom from the uncomfortable feelings they have inside themselves, which they aren’t able to deal with in a healthy way.

Another great saying we often used as kids, which also expresses an understanding of human projection was: “It takes one to know one!”  This little statement could stop bullies in their tracks, back in the day. It immediately put them on the defensive, and I remember the joy I felt as I watched them struggle to come up with their next line of attack, after I threw that little gem at them. Sure, it was a bit childish, but we were children!

In today’s world, accusation, slander, and shaming are rampant, and they are all practiced with dizzying regularity, in order to stop debate and make people stay silent. And of course, to make the ones lobbing the accusations feel better about themselves, in classic projectionist fashion. And these accusations are made with such regularity and such predictability that they are losing all meaning, and are themselves very childish. Take for example a recent accusation by a sitting Prime Minister, that a member of the Canadian Parliament was a Nazi sympathizer, however, she herself is a Jewish woman. So a Jew is accused of being a Nazi. Yes, this is the level of intellect that we have sunk to.  Or another example, which actually happens quite often now: a black person is accused of being a ‘white supremacist’. That actually defies logic, and is laughable; but then, most of these things do, and are, nowadays.  

So what can an intelligent, rational person do to defend themselves against these rampant childish attacks? What can we say in our defense, when they inevitably will call us a ‘racist’! The favorite accusation du jour. It makes no difference to these folks that we have been friends with people of other skin colors since we were kids together on the playground, and we are still friends with them now, and we work together, and we eat together, and we confide in one another, because we love one another. Nevertheless, we are still ‘racists’!—if we don’t say what our accusers want us to say, or do what they want us to do.

First, we must remember that they are most likely projecting their own racism upon us. They are the actual racists, and not us. Keeping that always in mind, the next thing to do is to pull out a time-tested, tried and true response. It will be difficult at first to use it, because we are nice people, and we don’t want to hurt anyone, but it is necessary. These crazy, immature accusations must be stopped! We must fight fire with fire! So, the next time somebody calls you a racist, this is your response: “I know you are, but what am I?!”

~FS

There is a quiet place within you, that place where only you can dwell. Nobody else lives there, but only you. From within this place, your heart, comes forth everything that you are—all the good, and even all that is not so good; all that you want to be, all that you are glad that you are, and even that which you’d like to hide, or that which you hope to change. But who truly knows this place within themselves, and who understands it? Who has plumbed its depths and can say they’ve seen its bottom; or who has traveled to its horizon and seen its end? Have you traveled the depths and breadth of your own heart, or is it still a mystery to you? Are you not a mystery to yourself? How remarkable that your very essence is an enigma, even to yourself. How then can we hope to know ourselves (not to mention truly knowing another; that must be a leap akin to climbing to the stars); what light will cast into the deep shadows which conceal the truth of your being, and expose it all? Must we stumble through the darkness of unknowing, as we stumble through our life? Or shall we even go so far as to allow others to tell us who we are; or let others tell us what to think, how to act, what to say, and how to feel?

Descending into the place of your heart is a threatening journey; it is a lonely path, and an adventure that requires some courage, determination, hope, faith and love. We must not lose hope in the discovery of ourselves; we must not lose courage in the journey that is true; we must never grow complacent and let others live our life for us. Life is magnificent and it is yours! Your own heart is a world unfathomable, the bounds of which you will never know; it is a universe of possibility and potential. There is great hope for all who enter here. There is no room for jealousy, not at all, for what has anyone else that you don’t have? You have a universe entire, in your own heart, which to explore and to discover, and which you will never fully know. Mystery will lead to greater mysteries; answers will lead to greater questions; discoveries will lead to greater experiences. And all of this unfolds the beauty and truth of God, who comes to dwell in your heart and He illumines it as you seek to know its contents.

That which was dark becomes lit from within; that which was unknown becomes known; you become less a mystery to yourself and you begin to know…to know who you are. To know who God is—all of mankind, all of creation emanating from Him, created by Him, and knowable through Him. There is a quiet place within you; a place where only you can dwell. Yet, in this place there is another—it is the place where you’ll encounter, the One who is our Creator.  

~FS

We are living inside a masterpiece. And even that word doesn’t begin to describe this creation of which we are a part. The beauty, the synchronicity, the totality of even one moment, in one place, in one small sliver of this overwhelmingly vast world, could never be described and is possibly too much for us to handle. I find it easier to look at, or listen to the master-works of art contained upon a canvas with paint, perhaps by Nesterov, or to listen to a symphony, possibly by Tchaikovsky; yet even then, sometimes I feel awestruck—which is a feeling verging upon fear. I ask myself, how can such sublime creations exist? But to escape from these small confines, from a canvas made up of only so many square inches, or from a symphony composed of some finite number of minutes; what then, of this world which surrounds us, which transcends every limit that man can place upon it? And let’s not even mention, or consider the limitless worlds beyond our own, the entire universe of which our world is only a smallest part. If we did, would our minds not explode for trying?

Who could ever capture with paint the varied colors and expressions of all of these things simultaneously, for example: that mass of clouds in the east, peeking over the mountains, all aflame with light as if erupting from within, and the depths and variety of grays and whites shimmering in the sky to the west, shimmering and yet also subdued, muted, with blue skies subtlety and surprisingly peeking from behind the darkened clouds, and the water which is silver and golden too, and then it becomes rose-colored, and then purple, finally, but never finally, shifting into blues of every tint and variation.

The air all around us, which makes up the canvas and the paint through which we have our being, is fresh, and suddenly hail falls from the sky, and then rain, and then the sun casts light through the clouds, with tiny rainbows filling the golden and misty air. I am only one little person speaking of only a few moments from one little day. Other people could also tell of many other things, about these very same moments. What composer could write the accompanying score for this visual performance? With the sound of the rain falling, and then the hail, while the wind blows. But there is an infinity more of which to speak: animals, so many and so varied, add to this spectacle, which is already beyond description. Cormorants complain about the new arrivals to their piers, upon which they perch. Seagulls ask for a meal. Seals and sea lions, and all kinds of fish swim beneath the waves, and some of these poke their heads up through the water’s surface, adding to our experience of this masterpiece of color, and sight, sound, and smell, and touch, and taste…

And behind all of this there is also the breath of life, the pulse of existence, the music of the spheres, and the stillness of creation. How can we speak of these which animate our world but go largely unperceived? One cannot speak of all that exists even in just this simplest moment. I try to open myself to perceive and to understand all of this, and my mind resists me, preferring a more mundane perception. There is no time to be bored, or to waste; there is no home for despair. And yet, it can be unsettling to push, or pull, or open our mind, to allow ourselves to see the truth of the masterpiece in which we exist. Often we prefer our little world of petty disturbances. And yet, in the blink of an eye, by simply desiring it, we can see beyond ourselves, and then…just look to God’s creation, and allow yourself to become reborn in His likeness. We can learn from the creation and allow ourselves to be remade like it; leaving the ugliness of mankind behind us, and never looking back (God willing). We are living in the midst of a sublime masterpiece, let us have the courage and desire to open our senses, and experience the awesomeness of it all!

~FS

I’m telling you, now is the time to double your investment, if you’re a Christian. In fact, if you’ve got the guts, go all in, double it for sure, but even triple it, quadruple it; lay it all on the line. You’ll be okay. Better than okay. You’ll be great! And if you aren’t a Christian yet, now is the time to become one, you won’t be sorry.

I know what you’re probably thinking. Now is not the time to take risks; the market is looking very shaky lately, and current thinking is certainly not favorable towards those of faith right now. For anyone looking at the numbers it can even appear hopeless: the numbers are drastically dwindling for membership in all of the churches, people who say they believe in Christ and live their lives by this faith are at an all-time low, the culture and society as a whole are dismantling the Christian underpinnings of all of our institutions, and everywhere you look one sees earnest attempts to appropriate the good things which our faith has provided—such as love and respect for all people—but by removing these wonderful things from their roots in the faith. And there are concerted efforts to do away altogether with the Christianity which spawned these good things throughout history.

Christians, here and around the world, are methodically and inexorably becoming the targets of anger, hostility and hatred by the secular majorities. So I can understand if you might think it better to fold, and take your money and run; or hide it someplace safe. But you know, that doesn’t sound like our Lord, Jesus Christ—the One who turned over the tables of the money-changers in the temple, and the One who extoled us to be light to this world, and not to hide His light, which he’s given us, under a bushel.

Christianity appears to be in great retreat in our land, so it may seem foolish now, of all times, to invest yourself more heavily; or even to put it all on the line (if you are so bold). But that’s my advice, to myself, and to you. I can be prone to despair, even depression from time to time, especially in the face of growing adversity, but a good friend just yesterday reminded me of the times of the Old Testament prophets; they were not easy times either. Throughout history times have been very tough, and yet Christians stood and grew stronger in their faith in these times, and in their witness to this broken world. When times are darkest, the light grows brightest.

I encourage all of us to add our light to the light of other Christians and to advance courageously into the culture. We have always been at our best, and our victories have been the most remarkable when all appeared lost. The best example being when Jesus Christ himself was dying on the cross. To the eyes of the world, that wasn’t a good moment for his followers; but in reality that was the moment of His greatest triumph and the moment that changed human existence forever, giving us victory over death through Jesus Christ.

If there are ever times in history to play it safe, now is definitely not one of them. Everyone seems to be selling off and running for cover; many in the world today even seem to be afraid of their own shadow. There’s never been a better time to buy; you’ll reap vast rewards in this world, and in the next. Invest everything you have, into your Christian life!

~FS

The biggest news today, to start things off, is that you are alive today and have a tremendous opportunity ahead of you to live your life! What others are doing may have some impact upon you, to a greater or lesser extent, but in all cases you have freedom to react as you wish, and you are still in control of your attitude! This makes today a very interesting possibility!

On to other news: some folks got angry today, and several grew impatient and frustrated and vented at one another. But others found peace today, and these folks enjoyed several simple pleasures: the joy of breathing the fresh air, and the warm joy which filled their breast and made them smile as they looked with love at the world around them; these folks let others act as they wish, and refrained from judging them or criticizing them, and they just went about their own business today and looked for the things that would nurture goodness.

Luka, the little brown dog who lives in Mukilteo, followed his owner around the yard this morning; and the little dog was thrilled to meet somebody new and to smell their pants and stare expectantly up into their face. You might imagine that he went bonkers when that person chased him playfully across the back lawn, and you’d be right! He made a new friend! His new friend stepped in a pile of excrement that Luka absentmindedly left behind, but no harm was done. It came off easily enough.

In Woodway, later in the morning two little kids followed their mom up the driveway, anxious to get back indoors because the weather is quite cold today. Even though the sun has come out and the blue sky is a real treat for everyone. It seems very likely that those two children will be enjoying grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch; and it’s been said that their mom makes the very best ones around. And cheddar goldfish crackers are also on the menu. That’s a lot of cheese kids! Remember to eat your fiber too!

In sadder news there was an animal laying still on the side of the Mukilteo Speedway this afternoon. However, upon closer inspection it was actually a stuffed toy animal. So no real animals were harmed. This was a relief to everyone who passed by. Hopefully someone will take the toy animal home with them and put it in the washer and dryer.

Recently, someone has been blowing enormous bubbles at the beach in Edmonds, to the delight of everyone around. Many afternoons one can see huge bubbles, some the size of a person, or even larger, floating through the air across the waterfront, and even over the tops of the nearby ferries—their shimmery skins translucent, and yet afire with all the colors of the rainbow, reflecting light and shining against the gray sky as they go. For a moment you might think you’ve been transported into another world, one of sublime beauty and filled with strange and surprising occurrences. It is worth seeing!

We’ve heard rumors of wars, and lots of murmurs about diseases and other scary things. However, while these things are worth noting in passing, most of these things are well beyond the average person’s control, so we won’t bother much about these, other than to briefly mention that a number of folks are fairly caught up with them. One great thing to report is that God, the creator of all things in this world, is still in control, and for those who desire to trust in Him, they don’t need to worry too much about all these things. They are freer to enjoy the gifts He desires to share with us.

In Kingston, there is a red-twig dogwood that is just about bursting with new buds. As one looks at this large shrub it appears as if an army of tiny archers are aiming a thousand little arrows at the sky, all poised and ready to let them fly. One imagines that when spring comes, this tiny army will advance, and all the buds will erupt; and God be with the sky, as a flurry of new foliage unfurls and overtakes it. If one looks closely one can see this same phenomena taking place all around us, in many of the shrubs and trees. The natural world is poised on a knife’s edge, it seems, and the tension is palpable. We expect that not long from now, nothing will be able to hold this back any longer, and an Armageddon of floral color and foliar beauty will be unleashed all around us, with great mercy.

 And that’s all the time we have for today. Thank you for looking to us for your news. This is “All the News That Matters!”

Until next time, be well, be loving, trust God, and don’t take any wooden bitcoin!

~FS