Praised Be Our God!

Our prayers were answered when Tristan marched into the Regimental Area at Camp Lejeune this last Monday. Many thanks to all of you who prayed for him and his fellows. And Rebecca and I send out our deepest condolences to the families of the seven Marines from Lima Company who lost their lives on this deployment. May their souls, and the souls of all the blessed departed rest in peace.

We were gone for a few days over a week, and in that short time so much changed at Briarwood. Chuck, our good neighbor, got the back pasture fenced, which should save me a lot of money on chows over the years to come and make the eggs my girls produce even more packed with healthy things. The weeds have almost taken over the garden, in spite of my best efforts. A long and hot day's work tomorrow should take care of that little inconvenience. The peas and turnips and chard are ready for harvesting, and the lettuce and spinach bolted in my absence. It is wonderful to live in a place where so many things are alive.

Last Tuesday, Tristan and I were able to go to lodge together in Jacksonville. Here in Ohio, we are "moderns" in Masonic parlance. In North Carolina, the brothers are "antients." So many things were so very different, but all of the essentials were the same. The mystic tie is truly never broken, and it was good to sit with my son as the men of Lafayette lodge took care of the business at hand.

Over the last few weeks, I've been thinking about what my professors used to call "the art and craft of sermon construction." With my advancing years, I've noticed that my organizational skills are not what they once were when it comes to public address. My visits in other faith traditions have led me to the conclusion that I am very glad we have a prayer book, even if it is not the one I would have chosen. And so it occurs to me that perhaps the meanderings of an old man might be better managed by a manuscript, or at least by extensive notes on Sunday Morning. I've just finished my first sermon, or rather homily, since taking this line of meditation to heart. It is a reflection on Samuel's grief and recovery over the rejection of Saul in the 15th and 16th chapters of I Samuel. I believe God was in the preparation, but it remains to see how the good folks of St. John's will respond. I suppose Sunday will tell.

With that said, I'll close for now. I hope to be a bit more regular with postings in the days to come. And I pray to God that this small discipline of mine will be of godly assistance to some fellow traveler on the way to heaven.
Bill+