So, how did the preservation of cherries go?

    Several jars of Jam and Chutney and 36 quarts of cherries canned for winter.  They will have something to place on their pantry shelves and eat on those cold winter nights coming up.

Fourth of July had its own meaning for my youngest son’s family, this year.

    Which does make me think of another story.

    On the 5^th of July 1985 I was coming up from the Rajneesh ranch and met up with the OSP Lt. from The Dalles just outside of Antelope.

    We decided to have a cup of coffee at the little restaurant/grocery store/gas station in Antelope, but finding it closed we stood there and talked for a few minutes.

    Since I had not been in The Dalles for the fourth, he was telling me about a fire on Cherry Heights set off by fireworks.

    Two Rajneesh ‘peace officers’ pulled up and joined us.  Trying to be polite and include them in the conversation I told them the Lt. and I were talking about that fire.

    One of them started laughing and said they had their fireworks for the fourth also. 

    She went on to say that they had cremated the young man who had drowned on July 3^rd and there was fireworks and sparks all over.

    I looked at the Lt., he at me, and we both decided we had to drive on.....not our kind of humor! 

    I will never know if that young man was the sacrificial lamb for the festival that year – but with their record it could very well have been.
    What was frustrating was the knowledge there was nothing we could do about it – but we were ready to cover that base the following year!!

    However, they imploded and most were long gone before 1986.

    And Wasco County was safe from being overthrown.

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Philippians 3:13-14 KJV  “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

¹⁴ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

    Reading in my devotions today, Paul is pointing out to the Philippians that he is ‘basically’ growing in the Lord.

    Far too many of us are content to be stagnant.  We either rely on past accomplishments in Christ to ‘prove our devotion’ or are satisfied with a mediocre relationship with Christ.

    Like the worker who has 20 years on a job but has never gone past the first year in the quality and fulfillment of the job, we just walk along, happy in our bliss and unchallenging spiritual world and think that is enough.

    It isn’t, oh it may be enough to get us through heaven’s gate, but not enough to keep us from the humiliation of Christ asking us why we didn’t do more for Him.

    I remember sitting down with my Pastor, frustrated because a man who I knew to be a Christian, was more ‘worldly’ than I thought he should be, and people really liked and admired him.

    (By the way, I really liked this guy too, but, I just felt he wasn’t portraying Christ as he should.)

    First – and the Pastor was kind enough to NOT point this out but allowed me to come to my own conclusion – it was not my place to compare myself and my relationship with God, to Him. 

    I may have thought I was more ‘spiritually minded’ but he may have been reaching people I never could – besides what did I know about his spiritual condition?

    I grew somewhat on that day.  I was responsible to God for me, for what I taught, and not responsible for those that might not be doing everything ‘right.’

    It wasn’t up to me to judge the manner this man lived – if I really felt the Lord was leading me to talk to him about it, then that would be different, but I wasn’t.

    As it turned out I was just jealous.

    Just like the continual first-year practice of the 20 year veteran who didn’t want to grow, but was upset by those that did so and attributed it to some nefarious reason, rather than desire to do the best job they could.

    It isn’t up to us to look back and pat ourselves on the back, or compare ourselves to others, it is up to us to always focus on Christ and grow in Him: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus,”

    And in doing so, I pray that I can help others do the same.

Later, Art (-: