Hymns

One of the more onerous tasks I have to do involves choosing hymns each week that I preach. Since Pastor Wayne and I are on an every-other-week schedule it is not like I have to do this constantly. However it is still an area that I am sorely tested. Part of this has to do with the initials that appear after my name: MD (otherwise known as Musically Deficient). Just scanning the notes on a page, or looking at the name of the tune are of no help whatsoever. Fortunately Ronda, our Education Director is also an accompanist on Sundays, so she has been a valuable asset in the selection process. Another asset has been the "reference hymnal" which has highlighted each tune that Ronda or Dorothy , the organist, know how to play. The other difficulty is making sure that we are not singing the same songs every week. And in this Pastor Wayne came up with a very lo-tech way of solving this problem. He has a notebook that has the list of every hymn sung for every week dating back to 1982. Thus I am only choosing hymns that have not been sung in the last 4-6 months. And for that I am thankful!

Sun Dogs

It was -13 F this morning with a clear sky. This is what the sunrise looks like when there has been a fresh snowfall and sub-zero temps. The light on the left is the sun. the light on the right is the "Sundog". It is quite the stunning sight!

When the conditions are right you get this image which has the two "dogs" flanking the sun 22 degrees on either side. I think of these as our own mid-winter rainbows.