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BACK!!!

Well, after almost a two-week hiatus, I am back and ready to start blogging again. Had a wonderful trip to Spokane, Washington, for business the week of March 14th. Got to meet up with a couple of old friends who I rarely see outside of this annual conference. Took off one day to do some birding around Lake Corde d'Alene in western Idaho. It's amazing how you can see God's hand all around you -- if you only take the time to look. I never cease to be amazed at the diversity and wonder of nature. Wonderful new species of birds that I had never seen before were present everywhere we looked, from tundra swans to Barrow's goldeneye ducks to the common magpie of the western U.S. How can anyone look down on a magnificient glacial lake with mountains in the background and listen to the sound of wind through the ponderosa pine and imagine it was all created through chance? The evidence of God's design was all around me, and I worshiped Him as I took in the beauty of creation all around me. What better time to see God's hand in nature than in the spring of the year, as new life springs from the depths of winter and as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

I am looking forward to the worship service tomorrow and to the upcoming marriage ceremony for Jamie Padgett and his fiancee. It is nice to travel, but it is equally nice to be back home again with my church family. I love this time of year. New life springing up around us daily, a new family being created next weekend, and new graces and mercy from our Lord daily! Halleluyah! Praise God!