When I agreed to write a weekly column for the on-line news journal, Wake Forest Today, I was excited to have the opportunity to develop a voice in my new local community.

The 1,156 people who follow this blog (as of today) represent 20-some nations spread across five continents; but the town of Wake Forest is a much more esoteric focus of common interest. Consequently, the only way out-of-town readers can catch my Wake Forest Today columns is to click on this link and visit the site. If you do (and I wish that you would) please share with your contacts, and leave some kind of a comment so my editor knows that people are reading.

Here’s the tease:

Snow! That’s right, we’ve finally been baptized into Wake Forest winter. Yes, I understand that North Carolina is very much a “Southern” state, but Rebekah and I drove 700 miles in the general direction of Canada to get here, and that much north-ness comes with a significant change in climate. (click to read more…)

MOVING RIGHT ALONG: Funny thing is that “the locals” keep telling us this winter is unusual for our part of North Carolina.

• “It’s been 14 years since we’ve seen temps in the single digits…”
• “Sometimes we go years without seeing any snow…”
• “Winters here are much milder than this…”

Well tell that to the thermometer that read “5” when I walked Scoutie Thursday morning!

But I’m not complaining, not even a little (although I might change my mind when we get the January heating bill). But this morning, listening to the crunch under my boots, and feeling the crisp 12-degrees on my cheeks, I honestly felt invigorated and refreshed.

And it is beautiful here; the snow and the ice and the cold winter sky. This next photograph isn’t of our house, but is at the bottom of our street, heading toward the park, taken into the dying light of a perfect winter’s day.

It’s a salty, slushy road; light snow worn down by hoards of tramping children on their way to the park; black ice canceling one more day of school; temperatures plummeting with the sinking sun; a winter scene I never imagined we’d ever live in.

But here we are; warm in our home, warm in our hearts, welcomed in this town, encouraged by our community of faith, held close in the promise of God’s grace.

“From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” (John 1:16)