Thanks Shortgrass, Soapweed, and others for your reminders and insights into faith.
Aren't we blessed to have so many people of faith willing to share their thoughts and understanding of scriptures with us?
My congregation, one of four churches in our parish is currently searching for a pastor. We truly are blessed to have several people capable and willing to help with services in the interim. This four point parish has quite the distance between the 'furthest outposts', over 120 miles, I believe. Fortunately, there are people at each of the distant churches, and a couple of others in the larger town, so we aren't deprived of good messages while waiting for a 'real' pastor. All relate the scriptures to their, and our lives.
We went to Chadron, NE for the funeral of a good friend last week. Burial was at his 'hometown' cemetery in SD. All the caring and respect for Jim and his family shown by those attending services, and the time for sharing after the burial, and sharing stories of our memories of him was a 'blessing amid sorrows' of losing him from this life.
The mixed 'blessings' experienced by Shortgrass and Soapweed, and Jim's family recently seem like a continuing lesson of the blessings we can have in situations which seem far from being a blessing, except that we are people of faith.
Thank you for sharing, guys, and I thank God for giving us the great blessing of friends.