Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. – Galatians 6:1-2

Rebekah and I are very happy that our four-year-old grandson, Geoffrey, is so positive about going to school. Last month the big project was getting him in through the door without some kind of a meltdown – and the breakthrough we made before we left seems to have held up over time.

Tuesday morning he had his shoes and socks on, his backpack over his shoulder and his water bottle filled up a good fifteen minutes before it was time to go.

This mild October weather makes for great park conditions before heading to school and Geoffrey brought along a couple of his favorite dinosaurs for good measure. He is also at that age when if we get the name wrong – like saying Bactrosaurus when every pre-schooler in the world knows it’s a Basilosaurus – we get roundly chewed out.

The Orlando Sprawl:

Naomi’s family lives in a well-designed and nicely laid out community, but Orlando is this huge amorphous and constantly growing phenomenon that seems to be trying to swallow up all of Central Florida. Here in Winter Garden new neighborhoods are springing up like mushrooms, so it is always a treat to grab a glimpse of unspoiled Florida before it all disappears.

So the big kids attend 7th and 8th grade, and Geoffrey goes to preschool and Craig takes care of his very special Trader Joe’s store, and literally hundreds of thousands of people swarm around Orlando in a frenzy like a giant ant colony after someone steps on the mound. And underneath all that activity the individual stories and dramas of people’s lives – and challenges and triumphs and missteps and more – play out.

They thrive, and struggle, and are frustrated, and succeed, and trip up, and get back up again, and run into obstacles, and life goes on and sometimes things work out for the better and – always – we pray that they do.

Life can be that way, and this is why we need the beautiful promise of salvation, the encouraging hope of redemption and the amazing grace of community.

“Live creatively, friends…. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law…. – DEREK