Its been DRY here in Sheboygan.  So I thought you might like to remember what rain sounds like. Check out this cool video – turn up your speakers!  Have you ever sung in a choir?  What type of Choir music do you like?

Before there was TV, Radio, Satellites, and the Internet,  people lived with whatever weather came upon them.  They made their plans and then adjusted to what was impossible to continue.

We are so enamored with the power of the weatherman.  And half the time he is wrong.  Want to know what the weather is?  Look out the window.  Let God cancel your plans.

¹The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. ²He replied,^[a] “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ ³and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. Matthew 16:1-3

They defied the ice.  They braved the weather forecast.  They were in worship, being the church, communing at the Lord’s Table.

I am impressed by the devotion of people in these rather adverse, discouraging Sunday winter days.  Especially older people who fear falling on the ice.  They are much more determined than younger people!  

Thank God for the good folks at Zion who are faithful and do not let weather determine their way of life and worship.  This has been one challenge of a winter so far.  I pray for a Sunday we can wake up to sunny skies and no snow, ice, sleet or rain.  

The good news – 130 day until I open up the trailer in Door County!  Can’t wait!

Front yard, originally uploaded by pastor_steve_p.

This is what my view is of the world in front of my house as I look out from the living room window. Who said you can’t see the world in “Black and White?” The bottom photo is the view out onto the back yard.  It is beautiful, peaceful, softly falling snow.  I love living in Wisconsin!  But then I will have to get my snowblower out and the peace and quiet ceases.

The strong winds of GREED toppled banks on Wall Street yesterday.  The economy felt the chill of the cold breath of the god, Mammon.  Financial folks were tightening down their windows and not taking any more foolish risks to let in whatever smiling face that wanted to come in from the cold reality of a cashless piggy banks.  Lenders were polishing their glass eyes to insure calm cool stares when borrowers shower the office with tears and the mists of dreams fogging up reality.  Houses will not be built during stormy weather.  Carpenters will exchange their tools for Bible commentaries. 

Bicycle shop owners will sing ”Ode to Joy” as they open their doors to the fresh breezes of overheated SUV owners who parked their gas hogs in their three car garages and looked for new 10 speed two-wheelers.  Weight-Watchers and Jenny Craig businesses will dry up with the loss of many crops of customers and a drought of cellulite thighs.  People lose weight because food has become too expensive to buy and calories were burned up riding bicycles and walking even in the rain, snow and following their dogs around the block and not around the kitchen.  The mantra, “You want fries with that,” has ceased to be heard throughout the land.

Forecast for the next few months is sketchy at best.  The sun will come out tomorrow – in some one’s world.  Other worlds should expect more storms, floods and mudslides.  Possible widely scattered earthquakes in and around Wall Street and those who trust in plastic cards. 

An unusual air mass from over the rainbow will suddenly make an upper air disturbance.  Darth Vader will faint.  Those looking to the pearly gates and golden street for signs can cheerfully count on clear skies and the mass burning of umbrellas, the frying of nest eggs, and the end to power outages. 

Environmental upheaval will ensue.  Hell will freeze over.  The Cubs will win the world series.  Bears will go extinct but Packers will multiply.  The tide will rise in portfolios held by the firm of Father, Son and Spirit.  Time will stop. With a deep sigh all looking at clocks will see them stand still.  Stuck on one time and one time only. 

In Paradise it is always and everywhere 5:00 PM.  “Shaken or stirred?”  You don’t need to be a weatherman to tell which way the wind is blowing…

I just received a phone call from my friend, pastor Ed Lee, who lives in the Houston area.

They made it through the hurricane but:

• Lots of damage to the roof of his home…
• Fence was torn up – trees down (Wind damage not water was their problem)…
• Got back the power on Sunday night (his area is the 1/4 back on line)…
• Has city water again on Monday morning (boil order still in effect)…
• Today every resident urged to “stay put” until roads can be cleared (trees and debis)…

Ed is phoning his Mosaic church members to see how they SURVIVED.  He hopes he can have church by this Sunday (they meet in a school).  Ed thanks everyone for your prayers.

> READ MORE IN THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE.

It was cool and the trees were still sleeping when I got up and went for a pre-dawn walk.  No wind slowed my pace as I went north then east and then south again.  No wind pushed me along either.

Bright sun and clear skies made for a “Grilling Day” on this Labor Day Monday.  The young son blew in with a suggestion for entree – “Pork Kabobs, please?” 

Kathy went into the deep freeze and found a boneless pork roast which would do.  The rain of teriaki with a few gusts of garlic, a breeze of ginger, and a bolt of lemon made for the chopped pork’s hurricane marinade.

Some migratory birds were flooding my feeders and gulping water from the bird bath in the backyard.  They must sense that the cold north winds are beginning to prepare to invade these parts and thus they flew for the cover of warmer climes.

When I stepped onto the patio the birds dodged into the bushes and trees.  It was ten degrees warmer on the south facing patio than the cool closed up house.  But heat is relative – just ask some of  mine that live in Arizona.  They get my present temperatures in December.  Birds around here aren’t stupid.

Nicely blackened from the heat, the kabobs of pork, green pepper, onion, and pineapple came in from the grill.  Steam came wafting up from the pot of brown rice, raisins and peanuts when I took the lid off and dished up the bed for which the kabobs which would soon disappear and become transformed into nutrients for three weather and bird watchers of blue jay, cardinal, rose breasted gross beaks, nuthatches, and yellow warblers. The food tasted so good that a gale of “wows” and a wave of “satisfaction” fell over the bow of our Labor Day bellies.

Then the weather turned sweet and scrumptious: a delicious cold front of slow churned ice cream butted against a delicious warm front of grilled peaches in lemon and cinnamon, with a juicy sprinkle of blueberries and a topping of real maple syrup.  (I can hear your galley growling like a big Nor-Easter waiting to be calmed.)

The force of such brilliant, sweet and savory southern Michigan breeze (berries and peaches were from there) caused us to reach for the cup of Caribou to steady us for what manner of weather on the morrow I know not nor do I care to ponder.

STRESSED spelled backwards is DESSERTS.  Coincidence?  I think not!

We had some strong gusts of wind and sleet yesterday. Enough to break my little flag pole and send the ragged flag into the trees. Have to get a new set up this summer.

It is snowing AGAIN on top of the frozen slush.  No fun driving or walking.  I will not forget this winter.  Some folks haven’t been able to get to church in a month.  As soon as this batch ends I will be out with the snow blower again.  Pray for Howard – he slipped a twisted his ankle yesterday.  And one mother of a piano student fell on the ice today and hit her head.  Ouch!

Yesterday Larry and John were trying to make paper airplanes while waiting for their meals to come.  If they would have gone HERE they would have had more flights not crashing into the salads…

Here is another BIRTHDAY BOY VIDEO…

Woke up this morning seeing that I would need to haul the snow-blower out again.  Just enough snow fell to warrant the use of the machine.  The piles at the end of my driveway are almost as tall as me now! 

I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s absence of media and noise.  Got a lot of reading, reflecting and writing done (on a yellow legal pad with a pen!)  God is good – the weather is not.