Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

Because I travel back and forth to Queens from New Jersey at least five times per week, I have become very dependent on two tools to help me find the best and quickest route there and back: Google maps and the live radio traffic reports.   With Google maps I can turn on the traffic function and look for the colors on the main roadways.   Green means the traffic is flowing well, yellow that it is a bit slow, red that it is nearly stopped.   Oh, red with a black line in it means, don’t even try to go that way!   By looking at the map, I can determine which bridge I should take, what roads to travel (or not travel), and approximately how long my commute will be.   Of course, there’s still nothing like the old-fashioned live radio traffic report—especially when it comes from the chopper!   Not only can the reporter tell you where the slow downs are, but also why they are occurring and any prognosis or timing issues.   So as I am getting dressed in the morning, it’s my habit to listen

After a long, cold winter, which seemed as if it would never give up its grip on us, we have finally begun to see some signs of springtime.   Crocuses have begun to push up through the earth.   Robins have reappeared. The days have lengthened. And, although they have not been many, we’ve had at least a few days that have reached into the 60’s.   Thankfully, it appears that the winter of 2014-2015 is being overtaken by spring.   I think most of us would agree that, it can feel as if our world has been trapped in what often feels like the dark and cold of winter.   C.S. Lewis likens our world to a place where it is “…always winter but never Christmas.” ( The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe )   What a dreadful thought!   As we continue to hear one bad news story after another; as we face our own personal difficulties that seem to pile up one on top of another, we can begin to feel as if there will never be a springtime. We are longing for and looking for any sign of life—something