By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon. Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that they may be increased there, and not diminished.”
Jeremiah 29:4-6
Ah, yes! We are now in the Fall of the year. Deep into the season, I hope you all fared well during the recent rains that encompassed the entire state! During the one-day event, we received approximately 7 inches of rain!
Most of you, I trust (I hope), are getting ready for the state session. If you are reading this after the session, let me say that I hope it was a great session and you had an enjoyable time.
This column is going to be a short one as I have to prepare for the memorial service for the session. I hope to see you there and be able to talk to you. I do enjoy meeting with all of my grange friends, old and new, and those that I haven’t met as yet!
The scripture lesson this month, like last month, comes from the book of Jeremiah. The lesson jumped out and grabbed me so much that I had to share. The lesson is one of hope (the lesson of the second degree!)
I have tried in all of my columns to be hopeful about everything, and to promote hope to you, my faithful readers. If you read the scripture closely (maybe, read a few more verses), you will notice that the Lord is urging you to look toward the future. We are NOT without hope.
We do have bumps in the road, but that is what they are, just bumps. They are not rock walls that we cannot get around. They are just minor obstacles that we have to either climb over or go around. They are NOT permanent!
Do not give up hope, keep looking forward to the future, and do not forget the past. We can only learn from past history to help us move on to the future.
Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”
Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, help us to realize we need to nurture hope in others while nurturing it in ourselves. Amen.”
Thought for the month:
If God sends you down a stony path, may He give you strong shoes.
a short Irish Blessing