The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh…. Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.

Deuteronomy 7:7-10

The first weekend of October not only ushered in some markedly fall weather (after Hurricane Ian rolled through), but suddenly gave us (thanks again to the hurricane) more than enough seasonal raking and bagging to shift our focus in the garden.

Meanwhile, in worship at Raleigh’s Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church, we enjoyed the warmth and the promise of renewed vitality as we marked World Communion Sunday by receiving fourteen new enthusiastic members into the life of the congregation.

My gallery of photos finishes up with a couple more food images, following up from yesterday’s “Gourmet on the Fly” post with my classic mushroom cheeseburger and an inventive “Saffron Chicken with mushrooms, capers, and rice” that went over really well.

One of my favorite things to say about any Monday morning goes something like this: “When we have spent Sunday focused on worship, in thanksgiving to God and in fellowship with a community of faithful believers, we have set the appropriate context for what comes next. Mondays are necessarily blessed, because we have launched the coming days on a trajectory of following Jesus.”

So my devotional thought for today is that simple. Get things in order, make the choice to be invested in a vital faith community, live an intentional life of discipleship out of the context of Christian community. This is the intention of the Creator.

In love and peace – DEREK