The Fall Season is Almost Here....

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted

 The Fall Season is Almost Here....

I happened upon an unplanned conversation with one of our folks and the talk turned to the Autumn Season. I ventured to ask, "Why do you love the Fall Season so much?" This is her incredible answer....       

                

1. The different color leaves in the foliage and the changes they stimulate in me are awe inspiring...the variations, adjustments, progress, and discoveries that are aching for expression through my experience.
2. The dying of the old year and the preparation for a new beginning--the hope-filled ending that leads to starting again...cherishing and embracing such an ending. Anticipating a kind of rebirth.... Yes, the excitement of a fresh test launch or first-ever endeavor....
3. The Fall’s ending is robust, colorful, revelatory, substantial and certainly a thousand times more vivid and graphic than the monotony of regular life itself, not merely a fading into nothingness or an unimpressionable ending
4. It is taking the time to notice the obvious and evident...climate adjustments... appreciating the crisp air and cool mornings.... stopping the busyness long enough to notice and enjoy the harvesting taking place.                                                                                                         

To say she ‘nailed it’ during our conversation is a huge understatement! These are incredible lessons we all cherish to some degree; they are written deeply on our DNA strains. We have attempted these reflections occasionally throughout life...or we have been reminded of them at times when we were forced to stop and take notice, but afterwards we were so glad we paused...gave ourselves permission to just breathe...allowed ourselves to venture and ponder much deeper than before. Yes, the Fall Season is almost here.... 

God's Gift of Autumn Grace

I love the natural colors of the fall season and stand in awe of the marvelous creative attributes of our glorious Savior and God, Jesus Christ. This reminds me of a wonderful “gift” God recently gave me. Struck with the awe-inspiring countryside of Germany, I paused at my study window, to drink in the audacious panorama of Malborn. In clear view are terraced hills and brief valleys unfolding into expansive fields peppered with fresh bales of golden hay. Immediately, I sense a pleasant whiff of burning oak and cedar wafting from my neighbors’ fireplaces. Beyond the yard, brilliant color variations of rich auburns, cinnamon-bronze, russet yellows, and orange hues christen the hillside trees. Clearly, the gorgeous German autumn has blushed! Like a spellbinding orator, she emerges to introduce the seasonal transition with fanfare. In the distant forests of these gentle rolling hills, I noticed four quaint villages nestled like mother birds in their nests. Cresting the horizon, churning windmills harvest the gentle breeze while reaching high into the temperate skies. All of this tranquil majesty is a refreshing retreat to me. Life is more than drop-dead deadlines, cranky computers, annoying cell phones and generally anxious days. Oh, how one deep drink of this God-given natural splendor relieves my tension-ridden soul!