Brrrr!

Brrrr! A cold front invaded Colorado yesterday and is expected to stay through Thursday. Colorado Springs recorded a new low temperature of -8 this morning. The weather prognosticators are blaming this cold weather on Canada. “An Arctic front has dropped down from Canada,” they say. Strange, I grew up in Canada and never heard anyone blame the U.S. for a sudden influx of warm, humid air.

Very little snow accompanied the dramatic change in our weather, but the drive to church yesterday was perilous. The highway from Colorado Springs to Penrose, where I am interim pastor, bobs and weaves through the foothills. Yesterday morning it was icy and snow packed, visibility was almost zero at times, and the temperature varied between 9 and 11. Accidents attested to the hazardous driving conditions.

The drive was worthwhile. Church attendance was better than I expected. The potluck after church was superb, and I had the privilege of baptizing three adults, three teenagers, and six children. You can better appreciate the faith of those twelve if you know I baptize by immersion. Getting wet all over on a bitterly cold day takes genuine faith, eh?

Our church is gearing up for Christmas. Next Sunday we will observe Communion, enjoy a choir concert, and a candlelight service. Oh yes, there will be a sermon, but it will be brief—kind of a Christmas present to the congregation.




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An Interesting Day

It has been an interesting day.

Two lawyers questioned me and 16 other prospective jurors, but turned me loose. The case involved a lawsuit filed by an accident victim. She claims the accident caused a herniated disk and shoulder injuries. Her husband is a corrections officer.

The first question was, “Was any juror born in the United Kingdom?”

I was born in Scotland, but I don’t think either lawyer would consider that fact a negative.

Possibly they made their decision based on two facts: (1) I have had two back surgeries, and (2) a current corrections officer and two retired corrections officers attend the church I am serving as an interim pastor.

A few minutes ago, the couple I was scheduled to marry April 19 called to cancel. Their only explanation was they had found someone else to perform the ceremony. Does anyone out there need a marriage certificate?

I must confess it’s hard to deal with rejection, but we all experience it at one time or another, don’t we? Fortunately, Jesus doesn’t reject us. I’m thinking about a children’s chorus sung in Sunday school many years ago.

“Jesus loves me.
This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.”