My wife and I have just returned from a month stay in Hot Springs Village in Arkansas. The house we rented is situated on a lake and sunrises and sunsets were glorious explosions of color reflected on the still water. In the late evening when the surface of the lake was like a mirror the words,"He leads me beside the still waters" came to mind.
We walked for exercize which was no small feat since the village is built on the sides of steep hills. My technique for overcoming the slopes was to "creep", i.e., to take small slow steps. Each day we were able to press on for longer distances. Later, I mused on my stamina and decided I might be able to walk several miles in that area if a hospital emergency room was at the finish line.

One day while walking and enjoying the fall foliage I was reminded of Paul's conviction that nature itself proclaims the existence of God. Those whose faith is centered on science will disagree saying that no supernatural hand was involved; only time, the laws of physics and evolution were the reasons for our physical world. Okay, I say God created time, the laws of physics and evolution.
Do you ever marvel that God created the world in 'living color?" He could have chosen to make everything in shades of gray or brown. Instead he presented us richness and variety that not only delight the eye but nourish our souls. Paul was right.
*****************************************************
Afterwords

Samuel B., 24, was booked in Solano County, Calif. on suspicion that he stole a car to make a court appearance on a previous auto-theft charge. ( A candidate for the tv program, "Dumbest Criminals.")

I feel somehow that this next blurb is in the same category as the above:
We, that is the taxpayers, have committed more than 4 trillion public dollars to Wall Street.
To put that astounding sum in perspective, consider that the cost of WWII in inflation-adjusted dollars was---you guessed it---$4 trillion. And the entire GDP, the entire wealth generated in the U.S. this year, is $14.1 trillion.
These are mind-numbing figures and they are hard to grasp. But, for an amount we can more easily understand, one doctor said, "For $200 million dollars we can take a walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ himself, curing millions of leprosy." Or, we can give it to Wall Street for the bonus pool.

Truth and Freedom

John 1:17 "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

John 8:32 " And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Isn't it ironic that the words of Jesus recorded in John 8:32 are displayed on a wall of the CIA building in Washington? I doubt that Jesus is credited as the author. Although lies and deception are some of their main tools, the CIA has appropriated this quotation to lend dignity to their work which is to use whatever means necessary to spy out the 'truth' of what the enemies of our country are really up to. Somehow I can't bring myself to believe this is what Jesus had in mind. The CIA should remove this scriptural quotation and install these words instead: "We operate on the principle that the end excuses the means." That would be closer to the truth.

That the public is supplied with "misinformation" from every level of government is all too often the case. Raw truth is sweetened to make it palliative to the masses and served up cooked to the benefit of the party in power. One can only assume that ordinary people (as distinguished from the elite who alone know what is best for us) are considered to not have the intelligence to handle real truth.

Mr. Lincoln disagrees: "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts." Are you listening Mr. Obama and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle? We don't need a nanny!
**************************************************

Little facts of life

If you accidentally drop a prescription pill to the floor, as it falls it gains energy that allows it to run and hide in some dark cranny where you can't find it. After you get up, puffing from searching on your hands and knees, the pill comes out of hiding unnoticed. The more expensive the pill, the more certainty there is that you will step on it or that the dog will eat it..

You Can Take it With You

After my first wife died I had every expectation that I would live out my life as bachelor and began to clean the house of things I wouldn't need. I was amazed at the amount of stuff we had gathered over 60 years of marriage and 52 years of living in the same house. A small part of it had sentimental value and was retained. The rest of it had very little material value as was confirmed in an auction.

I know of a wealthy widow who, according to her relatives, could no longer safely live at home and needed to be in an assisted living facility. She resisted the move until she had no choice The reason for her resistance? She had many fine and valuable possessions and she could not take every single one of them to the facility.

When it comes to the accumulation of wealth and possessions I have observed that there is a point reached of too much but not a point of enough. An outsider might say of the super rich that they have wealth for several lifetimes (too much) but that will not stop the wealthy from seeking to add to their fortunes (not enough).

In the 10th Chapter of Mark Jesus encounters a man who "ran up to him and knelt before him."
Luke says he was a ruler and Matthew that he was young but all 3 writers agree he was rich.
This is the 4th of 4 people so far in Mark who have run up to Jesus seeking something only he could provide; wholeness for a leper, healing for a woman, restoration for a demoniac and now for this rich man, the key to eternal life. The fact that each ran to Jesus portrays their desperation and their belief that, at last, they had found the one who could supply the solution to their problem.

Jesus gives the rich man a short quiz of which Jesus already knew the answers. Jesus was satisfied that the man was devout and sincere. Perhaps the man expected Jesus' blessing,
approval or a few easy to follow instructions and then he could be on his way. It didn't happen.
Jesus did say that in order for the man to achieve his goal there was one obstacle standing in his way, the thing he loved more than God; his wealth.

A sad story and not a popular part of scripture. That may be because we sense that it is not only addressed to the wealthy but to everyone who has erected an idol in place of God. Idols? Who, me? Yes, me.
Consider Matthew 10:37,38: "If you love father and mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if love your son or daughter more than me you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine."

Of course Jesus is not saying we shouldn't have other loves and allegiances. He is saying that every love, allegiance, relationship, ambition, goal or desire we have is secondary to loving and trusting him. He will not accept anything but first place in our lives. Considering what he has done for us, that is a perfectly reasonable position and you can't beat the rewards.

Matthew 10:29-30 "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "No on who has left home or brothers or sisters or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters,mothers, children and fields- and with them , persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life."

1 Corinthians 2:9 "Eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him."

1 Corinthians 13:13 "There are three things that remain, faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love."

When we go to heaven we will no longer need faith because we will see Jesus. We will no longer need hope because are hope will be realized. What we will take with us and keep, is Love.