Not sure why I do it, because I know what is coming, but still I had to look up the forecast for our neck of the woods through the weekend.

There is this bright red rectangle that covers this evening, tonight, Friday, Friday night and into Saturday morning with the words “Winter Storm warning.”

Promising snow, wintery mix, snow, rain and freezing rain with temperatures in the mid-twenties to the mid-thirties.

Weather men in Portland say everything is looking to get warmer, EXCEPT for the Gorge.

There is always that caveat they give to their forecasts, and it is almost always ‘the Gorge.’

We will survive.

In those 100+ days this summer I will need to pull some of these out and remember, “I LIKE four seasons!’

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James 1:22-24 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

²³ For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

²⁴ For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

I was looking in the mirror this morning.  I didn’t see a man in his 70’s.  But as I looked closer I could see the changes made in my person over the years.

We look at photos taken in our younger days and wonder where did that person go?  What has he become?  It doesn’t seem all that long ago that I was climbing the rim rocks over Prineville.

I don’t feel that old, yes I am slower, not quite as quick on the quip or thoughts that I used to be.  Years and health have had an effect on my body.

I remember one day Carla and I spent all day in the garden, working with the roto-tiller, shovels, hoes and other things preparing the soil to be planted.

The next day I was sore and stiff.  I met with a client who noticed my discomfort, she asked what was wrong.

Told her that we had spent several hours in the garden – her response was ‘you have to stop killing snakes.’

Now, I wasn’t killing snakes, didn’t mention it so asked what did she meant.

She said, as we get older we try to work at the same speed we did in our twenties, we need to slow down and stop working like we are killing snakes.

Good advice for a lot of things we do in our lives.

But what do I see when I look in the mirror, and more importantly what do people see when they look at me?

My life should be a reflection of the God that lives within me.  I need to conduct myself, no matter the age, as a Christian serving Him.  Maybe I am not able to do all the things I used to do, but I can still be of service to Him.

When Carla and her sisters get together there is a very strong family resemblance, to the point, now, that someone could easily mistake one for the other.  They reflect their family heritage in not only looks, but often times in voice and mannerisms.

When we are accepted into the family of God through Jesus, we need to develop that same family resemblance with other Christians and with Christ Himself.   

We do that by reading His Word, joining together with other Christians and deliberately working towards that end.

Romans 15:4-6 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

⁵ Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

⁶ That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We want people to see Christ in us; thankfully, over fifty years later, He hasn’t given up on me.

Later, Art (-: