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As Eddie and I slowly drove around the campus, surveying the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, my eyes couldn’t help but land on the devastation. Downed trees, snapped branches, and debris scattered across the property painted a picture of destruction. The storm had left its mark, and our once-beautiful landscape now looked like what I imagine resembles a war zone.

Easter is in April this year, a month in which Spring truly emerges. We are fully immersed in Spring weather and the blooming of flowers and trees; dogwoods, cherry blossoms, pear, azaleas, rhododendrons, daffodils and tulips. We are aware of the changing of our environment and the landscape all around us.

Much like the physical world awakens from its winter slumber, God’s work of regeneration in our lives mirrors this process. The Bible speaks of renewal in many ways, emphasizing how God restores and revives not just the earth but also our hearts and souls.

There is a famous picture of an old man sitting on the floor by his couch and holding the hand of his sweetheart, his wife of many years, who was lying weakly on the same couch, perhaps very near death.

What is there about New Years that tends to set it apart from other holidays? Is it the season of the year, the festivities, or the long-awaited time for a vacation?

No one in this day and age likes waiting! It is, after all, why we have “Fast” Food. It is why we can sometimes pay more money to speed up a few things. Waiting is a real drag for most of us.

What does it mean to give thanks in everything? As we pause at this time of year to celebrate and give thanks for God's gracious bounty and blessings, we should be reminded to give thanks for all things.

As we move out of the Summer season into the Fall, there is a change, not only in the climate atmosphere, but also in nature, too. The reptilian species, in particular, must adapt and change, as they are cold-blooded animals.

In 1894, Labor Day became a federal holiday in the USA. It is celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the work and contributions of laborers to the development of the USA.

Psalm 78:2-6, “2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. 5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children.”