Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

As much as I love the beauty of autumn, as the leaves on the trees around us turn from a dull green to vibrant red, orange, and yellow, I do not like the task of blowing and raking those very same leaves when they fall. It’s wonderful to look out the window in the morning and see the stunning colors of the maple trees across the street, especially as the morning sun casts its light on them; it’s another thing, however, to have to spend hours on end, cleaning up those leaves when they come down.   But, clean them up I do! (I know many you do as well.) Yes, it’s that time of year again: time for the fall cleanup!   Believe it or not, I’ve got one neighbor who is out there almost every day with his blower and rake clearing his front lawn of fallen leaves. He obviously takes a lot of pride in a leafless lawn! Even his wife says he is over the top when it comes cleaning his lawn.   In the end, however, whether a person clears their lawn every day or just once...

I think many of us would agree that one of the best parts of the day is coming home and being greeted by a husband or wife, kids, or even our cat or dog.   I remember the days when my children would come running to the door and welcome me home with a bit of excitement (at least when they were young!). Although Kim and I have been married 34 years, we still give each other a light hug and kiss before we part in the morning and when we see each other at the end of the day.   Now, when I get home, although no one else might be in the house, I’ve got Sadie, our dog, to welcome me home with her tail wagging and even a little bit of a bounce; she really does give me quite a greeting! Some of us might come home to an empty house, and I know that can be hard, for we all love a good hearty greeting.   Every culture has its means of meeting and greeting.   In some cultures, a light kiss on the cheek (or both cheeks) is an appropriate way of greeting anoth...

This past week, for the very first time, I let our new dog Sadie off the leash on the beach.   It was an exciting time for her—and, I have to admit, a bit scary for me. I was especially nervous about whether or not she would come back to me when I called. After all, when we I let her loose at the dog park, she is in a fenced-in area. And although I know that at the dog park, she will always return to me, on the beach I was not so sure; on the beach, there are no fences.   I started with a 50 ft. training leash to get her used to coming back to me from a further distance. That seemed to help a bit, but I was still nervous. Eventually the moment came, when I took off the leash. Sadie ran around a bit, came back towards me, and then took off again, this time going a bit further away. She got splashed by the ocean water that suddenly came up around her and even rolled around in the sand.   She chased a few sea gulls and got excited as they took off in flight...