Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad! Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. – Philippians 4:4-5
I have some cool images to share today, beginning with the Tar early Thursday morning.
The river is still running low, the trees are past their peak colors, and there is the mess of repair work going on along the bank. Yet there is still something about the above photograph – the bridges running downstream, the color palette and a sense of balance – that invites me in.
Max and I have to walk around the “Road closed” barrier as the work is still ongoing to construct the new steps and the walkway down the bluff. The project is looking good, and maybe this will inspire our town leaders to do something about the untended trash and the broken glass that constantly cover the sidewalk up crossing over the bridge.
Later in the morning Max and I raked leaves around Maul Hall. The process of raking and bagging on a cool day is invigorating and cathartic – and so much better than the incessant noise and constant cloud of dust and fumes created by high-powered blowers. Of course it helps that we only have a handful of trees.
This fall has not offered the volume of color we often see, but I have still been able to track down some individual trees doing their best to put on a show. I especially appreciate the reds and the golds of these trees on Saint David Street.
Thinking of Saint David, it was on this day – November 14, 2022 – that my dad, David, passed from this life into eternity. Dad may not officially qualify for the appellation “saint” in front of his name, but every one of his 94 years on this earth were a testimony to the miracle of grace and, as Philippians 4:5 puts it, “his gentleness was evident to all people.”
So as I reflect on both the beauty of autumn in North Carolina and the beauty that was my dad’s expression of the fruit of the Spirit (as discussed in yesterday’s post – Why Jesus Matters), I’d like to encourage each one of us to be more intentional in the way we live into this principle we say that we believe yet often forget to practice:
There will only be one November 14th, 2025, we won’t get another one – so let’s enjoy it and be glad! – DEREK
Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad! Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near. Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.
