I took this picture during my bike ride on September 23, the first day of autumn. The wind was brisk and perfect for kite flying. Goldenrod, white and purple Asters and Sumac dotted the landscape with texture and colour. A brilliant sunset finished the day precisely twelve hours after sunrise. The first quarter moon was high in the sky. These days are equatorial in length for a short period but soon the hours of darkness will exceed hours of light.
I love autumn, our harvests, brilliant tree colours, brisk air and dramatic skies. Seasonal changes are inspiring and invigorating.
Nature illustrates that change is inevitable. Time brings change and on an individual level, we can embrace it and grow or resist it and become bitter. If I could hold on to spring forever, I would never know the abundance of harvest.
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| Sumac is in the foreground. The moss-covered roof of the park pavilion is in the background |
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| Wild Purple Asters and Sumac |
Our pastor mentioned today that it would be very unfortunate if we confessed our faith as adults in the same way we understood it as a young child. Doubt is not necessarily in conflict with faith. As we grow in knowledge, we must continue to ask questions and challenge our beliefs.
I read these two books recently and identified with the experience of both authors. The authors did not abandon their faith in Christ during or after their departure from the church organizations they grew up in. Jon Ward is the chief national correspondent at Yahoo! News. He has covered American politics and culture for two decades giving him a well-informed perspective of their influence on religion.
Russell Moore's refusal to align with the Southern Baptist Convention politically and regarding the handling of sexual abuse in churches led to his leaving the organization. He speaks with a strong prophetic voice and I underlined many passages in the book.
The world has changed a lot since the springtime of my life. Much of the change has been good. Discussions about Indigenous abuses, #MeToo revelations, systemic racism, misogyny, and spiritual control and abuse are long overdue. Some people feel threatened by the winds of change causing them to dig their heels into the past. They refuse to look critically at their own belief system and attack anyone with a different perspective.
I still have a long way to go in removing ingrained tendencies to pass quick judgments and to know all the answers. I am happier in a world that is not black and white and want to focus on people rather than issues. Compromising the truth and having a lukewarm attitude regarding faith and injustice is not the answer either. The centre of my worldview and faith in any season of life must be Christ and his teachings, a view based on love and inner change over law and outward appearances.
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