That's correct, the snow and cold are near, as a matter of fact for the past couple of days it has only been a thousand feet or so above our heads. Snow has been falling, and as it reaches elevations of about 3,000 to 3,500 feet above sea level it has been melting to become rain. The average elevation of Spokane is about 2,000 feet, with the higher parts of the metro area up to 2,500. Check out the DOT web cams from Idaho and Washington tomorrow. Over the mountain passes you will see lots of snow! Over the next few days it appears as if the cool and occasionally wet weather will be continuing, with generally cloudy skies. That is the way things will probably be all the way through the weekend. Daily high temperatures will be in the mid 40s to near 50, with overnight lows falling into the 30s. Speaking overnights...man...they are now lasting until mid morning!
I may have been a bit conspicuous in my absence over the past few days. I am still recovering from the weekend. On Saturday I had a rather strange experience, especially considering that I have been involved in this ministry thing for relatively short period of time. Saturday morning, for the first time, I buried a person that I had baptized! Before you get too emotional let me assure you that this was not a little child. Back in the spring an elderly lady, a close friend of a friend of the church, was desiring to be baptized as she had never been in the 75 years of her life. She had come to faith late in life, and has been battling cancer for several years. Before beginning what she knew would be her last round of chemotherapy she wanted very badly to be baptized, and I was asked to do it. That occurred back in early June. Cancer took her earthly life last Monday, and she stepped out into eternity at that time, into the arms of our Savior. The family called and asked if I would lead the burial service on Saturday morning. That was an easy decision so there I was on Saturday morning out in a cold rain amidst 50 or more of her family and friends. I spent the afternoon indoors, warmer and drier, working on the details of two services for Sunday, our regular morning worship, and our evening contemporary service that we have been doing once each month, usually on the 4th Sunday. During that time my beloved Badgers were battling it out with those pesky Iowa Hawkeyes in college football. The game was on TV, but I was too busy to watch. That is probably a good thing as I probably would have been attending my own burial today due to the heart attack I would have suffered watching those beloved Badgers pull out a very hard fought and agonizing victory. Sunday came quickly, and the morning service was highlighted by the baptism of a little 4 month old guy...cutest little fella I had seen all day! There was more prep work in the afternoon for the evening service, so I spent the afternoon putting the finishing touches on the message and creating the Power Point presentation. 6:00 o'clock came, and the musicians were in place, Kay and I were ready, but that was it...no one else showed up! I can't say that I am shocked, as our congregation is not all that hepped up on contemporary style worship, so now it is time to aim our efforts in another direction.
Monday morning came WAY too quickly, and so here we go again...another week is off and running. There was my early morning class to tend to, and then it was off to the tennis club to meet the "Lay Posse" for a few spirited sets. Things went pretty well...you win some and you lose some...and now on got hurt, except for tuck somehow hitting his left hand with his racket, thus tearing a fingernail half off. How he did that we will never know! Fortunately John had a Band-Aid, so repairs were made and we were about our business. Since then the routine continues inside and the chilly and damp weather continues outside. Tomorrow's Wednesday, so it will be time to get cracking on two more sermons...both for Sunday...one for the morning service, and one for the special service in the afternoon to celebrate the Lutheran Reformation.
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