Shade Tree wisdom 1/6/10

This is the close of the Christmas season with the celebration of Epiphany.

Well, yes, it’s cold out, but walking was rather pleasant with no wind to sort of blow in my face. And, the lad waiting for the bus gave a cheerful “Happy New Year.” I said, “My your year be filled with more successes than failures.” He said, “Say, that’s a good wish for me, thank you”.
So we parted on friendly terms, he to climb into the lumbering bus, I to enter my warm home and shed the heavy jacket.

You have probably been getting snow pictures via email as have I. Do you notice these pictures, how calm things look with snow piled high? And it is, usually calm and quite pleasant after such a snow fall.

Right now the news is filled with news of colder stuff on the way. With suggestions about covering plants, wrapping pipes, and watching that pets aren’t left out in the cold. And stores are saying they are out of heaters.

It seems rather ironic that the world leaders just held a conference on climate warming. If we study the years, we will find that there have always been cycles of weather, some colder, some warmer than others. Maybe that is too simple. But I recall a man whose job was to estimate the snow blowers his company needed to build to meet needs, and the warehouses were full of unsold machines because the winter had been nearly snowless. (No, he did not quite lose his job because the company found him too valuable).

So here we are, standing in the threshold of this year 2010, wondering. What. Where. How. When. And other things. May I make a suggestion?

Look to the Book, the unerring, eternal, ever true Book, His Book, the Holy Bible, for guidance, direction, strength and comfort.

One book that is often given little attention is the Book of James. James has a way of getting to the heart of any problem. Christian Churches often are not models of good behavior. They are, instead, hospitals were the sin-sick find healing and forgiveness. They are places where human misbehavior is brought out into the open and dealt with.

The letter of James is a Pastor at work, skillfully diagnosing and dealing with all kinds of problems in living the Christian life. We might suit up in the sentence, “You have not because you ask not, or ask amiss”. And that is, of course, the basis for leading a richly Christian life, asking God for guidance, direction, wisdom to deal with the needs that daily arise, the problems that trouble us, or the worries we are weighed down with, and the many things that may complicate our life.

Paul’s advice is, “Pray without ceasing.” Lay your needs, wants, care, worries before His throne, for “He cares for you”, and “leave all things to God’s direction”.

The advice of the apostle James is sill sound. Give it thoughtful reading.

GPD 1/6/10